


Avengers: Shadowcell

by Ghost (JustAJuxtaposition)



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers HeadQuarters, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Enhanced, F/F, F/M, Freeform Avengers Characters, Homosexuality, Journalism, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Natasha Romanov, Lesbian Sex, Lesbianism, M/M, Marvel Universe, New Avengers, Original Female Character - Freeform, Original lesbian character, Parent Tony Stark, Pepper Potts Feels, Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Pepper Potts, Stark Tower, Superheroes, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Avengers - Freeform, Tony Stark's Daughter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-08-27 06:31:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16697233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAJuxtaposition/pseuds/Ghost
Summary: Jupiter Stark has always had to bear a mantle of expectation. She is the only child of America’s greatest inventor after all. But when a freak accident at Stark Industries turns her life on its head, Jupiter finds herself cast into a dangerous world of secrets and risk. A world where a mysterious and alluring stranger captures her heart.Disclaimer: This is a fan based work of fiction dedicated to the Iron Man and Avengers film franchise produced and owned by Marvel™. Whilst there may be reflections of character dialogues and interactions no copyright has been intended.





	1. Enhanced

_Her breathing had become slow and shallow. As she rested her mahogany-crowned head back against the starched white pillows of the hospital bed, she handed the sleeping baby to him. She knew she was dying. There was fear in her eyes. But it was not for her mortality, but for him and the innocent life they had brought into the world. “You must promise me,” she said. “That you will not let them find her. They will try but you must not let them.”_

_He stooped forward and whispered to her that he promised. Their daughter would be kept safe and away from those who would want to use her. She would never become a tool for them._

_“Good.” She nodded, satisfied. “She will not be a weapon. She is a human being before anything else. She will not be like me.” There was a futile cough that emerged from her pale lips. The shine had faded from her hair, he noted. The once glossy curtain that fell around her shoulders had turned a dusty grey colour like sun-bleached wood._

_The baby slept quietly in his arms and for a moment they were lost in wonderment as they watched her. He knew she was dead when her hand went limp on the blanket beside him. Her final breath rattled like fragile birds’ wings in the expectant silence of the ward room. He did not even look up just in case he might find himself staring into her lifeless gaze._

_A stray tear ran off his chin and shattered upon the pearly forehead of the infant girl. She awoke, and, sensing the disquiet, mewled plaintively. She snuffled into his chest, searching for the comfort that only her mother could have given her. All he could do was to carry her outside into the breaking fire of the morning sky, releasing both of them from the choking miasma of recycled air and disinfectant of the hospital. And it was there, beneath the growing streaks of lavender, peach and rust bleeding into powder blue that he drew her close to his face, kissed her and gave her the name her mother had wished for her._

~ 

_“The target is deceased sir.”Had the woman held any grief in her heart for such news as the death of a colleague, she never showed it. Her tone was almost disinterested. Her dark eyes held the reflection of the stoic figure – a man immortalised by his status as by the timeless silhouette framed in the window of his office. Fists clenched, head set low against the frustrated hunch of his back. The woman stood to attention, shoulders rigid; chin elevated in the atypical posture of a soldier. She barely wished to breathe loudly; such was the essence of distilled rage that wafted off him like his own brand of cologne._

_"That is unfortunate.” He said slowly, his voice drifting across the words as if he scarcely believed them. In truth, it was more than simply a small ‘misfortune’. Her death would surely stall any progress the program was making. “Was she compromised?” His question was as definitive as the threat of a gun pointed at the two women in the room._

_The woman who had first spoken held her tongue and looked pointedly at the other beside her. The redhead was leaning against the desk, appearing comfortable despite the tension in the room. With somewhat dry witticism she had afforded that it was due to her Russian heritage. But it was more likely the nature of her work before she landed here that had gifted such a heartless ruse in the face of a potential threat. She sighed heavily once she realized they were both waiting for her to speak. “There are some concerns that our least favourite contender for the initiative might be caught up in this.” She offered by way of an affirmation, and slipped back into her watchful silence as easily as one might change their clothes._

_The man by the window drew his palms over his face as if to try and rub away the disappointed grimace that firmly placed itself there. Walking from the window to his chair, he sat down heavily. “I should have known that he would somehow be involved in this mess.” He muttered drily. “Now, what to do?”_

~

What was it like to be the daughter of the infamous Tony Stark? It was the most popular question that people liked to ask her, and it just so happened to be her least favourite to answer. Oftentimes, what she had to say about it was never what they wanted to hear. Most people assumed that it would be glamorous and easy; that wealth and fame were suitable replacements for a devoted kind of father. In truth, she was _lonely_.

As was the case with most inventors, he was a distracted sort of man. He loved to be absorbed by his work and by women. He was swathed in billion dollar contracts from rich men with ambitions to match, and all of them wanting to know what he could do for them. And like a dandelion seed in the wind he would drift away from her. Sometimes very far across the world. Any spare time he had he wasted in the company of gamblers and party goers in exclusive clubs, and he would return home in the early hours, trailing strange women and drunk beyond rationality. 

It was lucky for Jupiter that Pepper had assumed responsibility. She had worked for Tony for many years as his Personal Assistant, shielding him from the barrage of clients and press. She kept his diary in order, very frequently ran errands that almost always involved a quick stop by the nearest Starbucks, and made sure that his residence was less cluttered and confused as his head was. Being his Personal Assistant certainly was not an easy task, but Pepper made it look so. And despite the numerous burdens she shouldered within her career, she had not faltered to take a newborn baby under her wing.

Indeed, Pepper turned out to be an excellent substitute mother. She was attentive and gentle, and above all, she was the assurance that Jupiter would thrive within the unpredictable environment that was the Stark household. It also proved useful that she knew Tony inside out, and, since he perceived her more as a friend and less as an employee, she was able to engage in controversial discussions with him safe in the knowledge it would never jeopardize her career. This familiarity with him had made it all the more easier to handle the chaos that was the accident at Stark Industries a few years later.

Perhaps finally trying to assume a role as close to a parental figure as he could muster, Tony had made a spontaneous decision to remove Jupiter from class halfway through a school day in order to acquaint her with _Stark Industries_. He had never seen himself as much of a _father_ , but, he thought he may have made a better teacher. Passing on the legacy of the Stark name was an innocent enough plan if not for the execution of it. In fact, his decision was to become his gravest mistake. When his back was turned, she had wandered off and, ever in the fashion of an inquisitive child, had touched something she really shouldn’t have.

The doctors on the scene had been disconcerted by the situation. Their immediate observation had been that Jupiter should not have been able to survive the amount of energy that her body had absorbed. They had no idea how it was that she had lived. And as quickly as they reached that conclusion, the news reached Pepper. She had swept into the hospital like a fierce storm, her eyes ablaze with a fury that made even cocksure Tony quake a little.  
  
_“You take little to no interest in your daughter for nine years and then you drag her to a dangerous laboratory. What were you thinking Tony?” Her tone was as hot as the flush in her cheeks as she stared down at him from the six inch advantage she had over him from her heels._

 _  
“That school sucks and that I could do with bringing on the successor.” He posited with a shrug nodding his head towards Jupiter, unconscious and wired up to a variety of monitors. It was clear by his almost nonplussed reaction that Tony hardly ever dealt with his own messes._

_Pepper scoffed. “She’s nine!”_

_“Just a number. You know she’s already built her first circuit board right?”_

_“Because I made you spend some time with her and that’s all you could come up with.” She was fuming. The azure pools of her eyes were boiling with anger. She had never been so scared to lose someone she cared about. And she had never thought Tony to be that foolish.  
_ 

 _“How much?” He asked suddenly, causing her to falter._

_“Wh-what?”_

_“How much do you need to sort this out?” He gestured to Jupiter like somebody might point at a broken down vehicle, and request a quote from a mechanic._

_Pepper should have been outraged by the very question. But the shock was too much. She gawked at him in disbelief, and then looked at the girl in the bed. The doctors had managed to stabilise her, but there was no knowing how severe the damage was until she woke up…if she woke up. “Tony, money cannot solve this.” She said truthfully, watching the realisation of her statement hit home._

The accident at _Stark Industries_ not only changed how Tony regarded his daughter, it changed Jupiter physically and permanently. She had woken from her coma three weeks later with Pepper telling her that she would not be able to return to school or see friends. Not for a long time. There were some changes she was going through, Pepper explained, and most people would not understand. And there were also far too many journalists looking to catch a glimpse of Jupiter Stark and her father, eager to snap up an exclusive on the incident at _Stark Industries_. The word _‘journalists’_ was enough to sway Jupiter to accepting Pepper’s plans; she had never liked how invasive they were. Frequently, that had been the job description of a number of the women Tony had dated albeit briefly over the last few years, and almost always, they had tried to get Jupiter to spill secrets on her father. Pepper had made a remark that _‘journalists’_ was a fancy word for _‘trash’_ but left it there.

From then on, Jupiter was home-schooled by Pepper herself. She was a very bright child and soaked up information like a sponge, and Pepper was not going to be one to deny her the joy of knowledge. But she _would_ have to deny her from straying from the home and from the prying eyes of the public. Even doctors were vetted prior to any appointments and even then, they had to be scheduled for home visits. Tony had managed to briefly crawl his way out of his wallow in the basement workshop long enough to help Pepper find a particularly good doctor from Atlanta, within a very specific field. Amongst all plausible practitioners shortlisted to work with Jupiter, both he and Pepper had agreed that this one was most likely to understand Jupiter’s ‘predicament’ the best. His name was Dr Hank Pym and he had specialised  in quantum physics and biochemistry for the better half of fifty years. He took an immediate interest in the afflictions of Stark’s daughter, describing them as ‘miraculous’ and ‘extraordinary’ and ultimately helping Jupiter adjust to the idea that she was anything but a freak. For that, all were grateful; establishing any sense of ‘normality’ around the whole issue would work in the favour of all in the long run.  
  
“ _You are incredibly lucky to be alive.” He said, pulling the stethoscope into his ears and pressing the cold disc against her back to listen to her pulse and breathing in turn._

 _Jupiter huffed. She had been told this so many times by different people. First, by the nurses and doctors who were there when she woke up, then by Pepper, and eventually, by her father. The only person who did not agree was herself. Her experience of it had equated to nothing short of a grave loss. She had lost her friends, her school, her days out with Pepper and Happy, everything she had cared about. And all she had gained was an alien ‘disease’, a misnomer, an affliction that was the root cause of all this. “I don’t feel lucky.” She admitted._  
  
_Stethoscope aside, he jotted some notes down before looking at her over the rim of his spectacles. “That is because you knew what it was like to be what other people call ‘normal’. But what if their normal is not actually the real one?” He hummed in thought as Jupiter gave him a sideways look and knotted her eyebrows together. Nobody had ever spoken like this about it before. Dr Pym had picked up his notebook and turned it to a blank page. He was scribbling a basic timeline across it as she watched._

 _“See this? Imagine this as_ rec _orded time and the complete history of humanity. I know, my attention to detail leaves a little,” he paused and corrected. “A lot to be desired.” That made Jupiter smile. It was a very scratchy drawing, hardly impressive. But it would have to do. He drew a number of small black dots along it. “At some point in time, a group began evolving beyond the usual group of humankind. An arguably superior race if you will; born with heightened instincts and survivability. One that could outlast the average human being. In my line of work we call you ‘enhanced’.” He paused jabbing his pen gently at her. “That is what you are.”_

_Jupiter raised an eyebrow. “You think I am an enhanced?” It was quite a statement to make._

_Dr Pym collected up his notebook and his leather briefcase, rising from his chair with a sigh; he was getting old and his body was no longer as sharp as his mind. His young patient was looking at him intently. “I do not think Jupiter. I know. It is the only reason you survived.” He replied with a surreptitious wink._

As time passed and Jupiter blossomed into a young woman, the notion of being an enhanced became less alien to her. There was enough information available to reach the conclusion that she was, even if she had no idea exactly what _ways_ she was enhanced. And it did not bother her enough to keep her particularly focused on it either. Dr Pym’s treatments advanced far enough that she was able to mask herself better and with it came fewer restrictions. Pepper started to allow her to explore outside the house. Then she would be allowed a couple of hours in town with Happy or herself. Of course, not without being told what she had to say if a journalist popped up at any time. Jupiter was understandably thrilled by the freedom and she relished the chance to try new things such as surfing, learning to drive, and any sport or activity which gave her a thrill. But as age and self-awareness progressed, things quickly evolved into _other_ discoveries, of the self, sexuality and complex emotions.

Perhaps it had been because Pepper had relaxed the rules just a little too much as to allow Jupiter to spread her wings a little too wide as to get noticed. Or maybe it was because Dr Hank Pym’s previous work associates had maintained a routine monitoring of his activities without his knowledge. Or, just maybe, as Jupiter’s mother had said, fate would lead her into the path of a mysterious organisation, existing in a world of secrets, espionage and heroism. A world which would later offer her the chance to meet the love of her life, but at a potentially deadly price.


	2. Beach House

_"I will build you a little home by the sea where the stars meet the water and the world falls away."_

_"Talking like a poet" She said. He scoffed and clicked his tongue at her, while she simply responded with an amused smile. He was still so boyish in many of his mannerisms, particularly in his spontaneity. She realised, looking at him, how they had barely come to know one another, yet had become so familiar. Indeed, he had known her long enough for her to be considered an acquaintance, but something big had come up, and it had called for a less conventional approach._

_"You don't have to build me a home. My home is with you." She said with a laugh, nestling her head into the crook of his neck so that her long, dark tresses tickled his throat. His hand that she held, she guided down onto the growing swell of her stomach. "Our home is with you." She corrected gently._

_Tony hummed appreciatively as he felt the stirring of the tiny life within her. He drew back to look at her and pouted playfully. "But I really want to." He said._

_~_

_"I thought all subjects of this nature were sterilised. No offence." The man with the_ _eye patch said, shooting his companion a hasty look. He had never thought that in the countless years of service to his country, that he would be sat here discussing the birds and the bees with one of his agents. 'This job never ceases to surprise me,' he thought to himself._

 _The former Russian spy barely flinched. She cocked her head, tightly curled red hair flopping over one shoulder like a bouquet of roses cast aside. Between her and Agent Barton, he had decided that this sort of talk was better had with the female of the species, and had summoned her to his office. Not only that, but she knew the subject the best of all of them, and personal experience was always superior to background knowledge._  
  
_She did not hesitate. "I know what my former employers did, sir, but I cannot vouch for everybody else." She crossed her arms across her breast and leaned back in her chair. She had been snipped long before the notion of sex and reproduction even crossed her mind. That had been on purpose, and it was a practise that he personally considered a barbaric one._

 _"Mhm. Well, whether she was meant to be sterilised or no by her former employers, it seems our ally comes with a sidekick now." It was not all that uncommon for personnel to file for maternity leave. It had happened before, during his Army days, but it was another thing when it concerned a potential threat to National Security, and a high priority asset to the program. Albeit, that she looked like a woman, the subject in question was a very real danger. What made the whole situation far more concerning, was that she knew this and had chosen not to care, or at least, that was how it looked from where they were stood. Last, was the fact that she had not thought of how her 'qualities' could potentially affect a baby._  
  
_"Is she to be my detail?" The fire-haired agent opposite him asked keenly, evidently wanting of a distraction. It had been weeks since she had been given anything. But that was partly because her last assignment had ended up with her being thrown through the eaves of a Rhode Island apartment by a physicist turned giant green man of rage. She had suffered a few minor fractures and wounded pride, but the unspoken words were that she had been lucky not to have been killed._

_He sucked on his lip. "I suppose she can be. Yes. But don't do anything rash. I don't want another incident like before." He gave her one of his hard stares that meant he was serious._

_In response to that, she gave him a sarcastic look and smirked. "Believe me, sir, I've been thrown through enough roofs to want to maintain a distance." She said._

~

A beam of sunlight grew like a river of molten gold streaming across Jupiter's bedroom floor as Jarvis furled the blinds and summarised the weather for the day. There would be zero chance of precipitation with only light winds and medium lines of swell drifting onshore. It would be the perfect day for a swim and a surf. Or to take the secret steps down to the private cove below the cliffs and to the beach house that Tony had built for Jupiter's mother. 

It was a private little bay tucked away beneath the pale rockface. The beach house itself was partially buried into the cliffs so that it could benefit from the cool during the hottest part of the day. It was a modern cube of glass and pale concrete jutting out over the sea with a viewing balcony and every possible amenity required to make it virtually impossible to want to leave. There was a kitchen, a shower, a seating area by the panoramic window looking out across the ocean with a fireplace to warm it in colder conditions. A bed was tucked into the manmade cave at the back of the building and bookshelves had been cut into the walls and laden to bursting with books on all sorts of interesting topics. Jupiter had discovered the place when she was younger whilst exploring and it had quickly become her favourite place to go; there she felt closer to her mother, and she also _loved_ reading. Best of all, her father had not objected to her using it, which she had rather expected him to. Tony had never spoken to her about her mother; the memory was too painful and the hole she had left in his heart had never quite healed. Whilst he would never visit the beach house himself, knowing it was appreciated by somebody gave him some comfort. And it pleased Pepper that Jupiter had contented herself with not always straying too far from home. 

She struggled momentarily to right herself; the sheets were wound tight around her legs and they were refusing to loosen their hold, as if wanting her to remain in bed a little while longer. Had she been of lesser constitution, perhaps she would have given in. Indeed, she had not slept well that night, but she could not remember a time when she had. Ever since the accident, she had been plagued with a variety of uncomfortable side effects including nightmares. Things she struggled to comprehend as simply being fruits of her imagination would terrorise her rest, for they seemed so real, their touch as firm and deadly as that of someone in her very room. They were cruel creatures that looked as if to be from other worlds, with sickly grey skin and sharp teeth. Every night, she would wake with a start, her heart skipping beats, her breath frantic, believing she would see one of the creatures looming over her bed.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and the welcome face of Pepper appeared. "Good morning sweetheart." She said as she crossed the room in her usual bustling fashion. She carried a glass of water with her, and she set it down on top of the chest of drawers by the bathroom door. She rummaged in the top drawer and retrieved the brown glass bottle containing Jupiter's pills. In theory, they were meant to help alleviate the headaches and temperature that she had suffered with  for years. She could not deny they worked but she disliked having to take them. As the bottle appeared and Pepper tipped out two blue and white pills onto her palm, there was a subconscious argument raging in Jupiter's head. By the time she had quietened the voices in her head, Pepper had put the pill bottle back in the top drawer and was bringing the water over to her. Jupiter took it and quickly swallowed the pills, noticing as she took them how Pepper was observing the sheen of sweat still on her skin and the distant look in her eyes. 

“You had the nightmares again.” She concluded, her brow furrowing. She had watched Jupiter grow from a newborn into a fine young woman, and knew all the telltale signs. The nightmares that had started shortly after the accident had become commonplace. Hank had always suggested they were a result of the trauma. 

" _Just her mind trying to make sense of it all_. _"_

"It's nothing." Jupiter concluded, not wishing to dwell on anything negative for too long. But she allowed Pepper to pull her in for a hug. Her arms wrapped tightly around Jupiter's shoulders, and her perfectly painted lips landed a fond kiss on the top of her head. 

"You are _so_ brave." She said. She had always known how hard it must be to be someone like Jupiter. A human who did not quite fit with what most people considered to be normal (if they found out what she could do). Every day she had to force down pills that tasted of plastic laminate sheeting and salt and muster a smile just to keep the remorse from drowning her father again. It had taken a long time to get Tony to the point he could actually  _look_ at her and talk to her and now that he was she was not prepared to lose him again. 

"How is dad today?" Jupiter asked. 

“Oh, you know, same old Tony.” Pepper sighed. “He still insists he’s not go PTSD. I keep advising him to at least go and _see_ somebody, but he’s still refusing.” She sighed again and gave a heavy shrug. The weight of the responsibilities she had for Tony were heavier than everything else; he tested her in ways she had never expected. Much to her annoyance. In fact, Jupiter behaved more like she would have expected the CEO of a multi-billion dollar industry to act.

Only a few months prior, Tony had been on his way home following a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan, when the convoy he had been travelling in had been hit. Reconnaissance reported that everyone except Tony Stark had been killed in the attack. A known terrorist organisation had been connected. They called themselves The Ten Rings, and they were not in the habit of sparing a life. Although, it was likely they had broken with tradition and made an exception with Tony; a man of his calibre and specific skill set could be useful to their regime.

For three months, they had kept him locked up in a base buried beneath the mountains. After a while, both the Army and Stark Industries began to fear the worst. Until, much to everyone's’ surprise, Tony was found, wandering the desert with a large magnet embedded in his chest. He had explained that it was stopping shrapnel from entering his heart, though kept any information about how he’d managed to escape vague.

Jupiter had accompanied Pepper to Edwards Air Force Base on the day that her father was due to return home. Pepper had recalled the guarded caution resting on the girl’s face. Had she sensed something? Or had she simply become accustomed to his common disregard towards her, that she had just learnt to never show her true emotions around him? Whatever it was, Pepper found herself empathising. As soon as the plane touched down on American soil, and without so much as the briefest embrace for his daughter, Tony had called for a press conference.

“Hospital first.” Pepper instructed Happy, the driver. But Tony raised a hand.

“No. No hospitals. There are only two things I need right now.” He ticked them off on his digits. “One, I want a cheeseburger, and two, we are going to hold a press conference. You are going to make that happen.”

Pepper had gawked at him in disbelief. Jupiter had not said a word; she was likely coming to terms with the lack of emotion he had shown her. And she also knew there was little point in arguing with him. So Pepper had had to agree to his demands, and dutifully organise the conference. She could only stand and watch as Tony, having only been back on American soil for a few hours, declared an immediate shutdown of weapons manufacturing at Stark Industries. It was a move that had caused no end of outrage and humiliation for him, and furthermore, had made him some enemies.

Among them had been Obediah Stane, his business partner. Heading a mob of angry investors and equally riled at the news, Stane had attempted to lock him out. It only came to light following his death that Obediah had been colluding with The Ten Rings, in a mad scramble for power. It had been his plan to sell Tony out, and with Tony murdered by terrorists, there would be nothing to trace back to him. He would have been free to take absolute control over the company, and move sales into the black market. Selling publicly would have started a war that could have seen Stark Industries profiting on both sides. But his plan had failed, Tony had lived and The Ten Rings had been scattered to the winds. Driven mad by failure, Stane had attempted to do the job himself.

There were scattered accounts of two automatons being seen fighting over the Arc Reactor at Stark Industries. But most considered the witness accounts fantastical and brushed them aside. And for weeks following the sighting, the military, Stark Industries and the police had kept a watchful hush over it. That was until Tony had gone and totally blown it. He had made (yet another) impulse decision during a press meeting, to declare he had designed and manned a suit. He called it Iron Man, and with it, he was going to uphold true American patriotism. He would safeguard peace and save the world.

“It’s all he thinks about.” Pepper remarked, staring out of the window to the sea beyond.

“War changes people. It could be his way of coping.” Jupiter suggested. She had never understood her father’s compulsions, but she had found that not trying too hard to explain his erratic behaviour generally worked. And it gave her enough peace of mind to carry on with her own life, minus the fact that her father was risking his own dressed up in a glorified tin can.

They sat there for a moment. Jupiter was lost in thought and Pepper was burdened with news that she had been worrying about all morning. It had been an incomprehensible itch that had driven her mad the night before; how was she meant to tell the girl? Still, she could not avoid it forever, and the sustained silence proved to much.

“He’s decided to sign the company over to me.” She blurted out frantically. She had been anxious about this moment, not knowing whether Tony would have even told his daughter this or not. She could not have been more surprised when Jupiter nodded, and looked at her with a genuine smile on her face.

“I know.” She replied.

Pepper faltered. “You do?”

“I helped him decide. We talked last night whilst I was working on the car.” Jupiter explained. She had developed a taste for the grease and chrome too, maybe one of the reasons Tony had been able to find some common ground and actually  _talk_ to his daughter again. 

Pepper sat and thought about it for a moment. She regarded Jupiter with a sideways glance. “But why? Does it not upset you?” Usually, the business and all its assets would pass to the heir of the Stark family. By blood-right, that would have been Jupiter.

Jupiter laughed softly. “No, of course not. Stark Industries is not my destiny anymore. Not since the accident. Making the decision was easy. Anyway, the place makes me feel…” She scrunched her shoulders, trying to find the words. Her eyes glazed over, remembering something that she didn’t necessarily want to think about.

“I know.” Pepper said, sparing the girl from her torture. It all suddenly seemed very understandable. Of course Jupiter would feel adverse to the idea of being anywhere near that place. All it held for her was a reminder of what had changed in her life.

“Maybe one day, when I’m better, I’ll work for _your_ company.” She offered, amiably.

“I’ll remember you said that.” Pepper teased with a wink. “I could do with some sensible Stark input from time to time.” She rose from the bed and picked up the empty glass. She was more than a little relieved to be over that hurdle. She walked to the bedroom door and paused with her hand on the knob. She turned to briefly look at Jupiter and said. "By the way, I have organised for a notary to come and oversee the signing this afternoon. Could you be there to sign as a witness?"  
  
Jupiter nodded. "Of course." She said. Pepper found it awe-inspiring how much she had grown. It seemed not all that long ago that she had been a child with solvable problems - grubby faces need washing, times tables needed revising. Now she was teaching  _her_ something about life; that it was not always fair, that sometimes there were far bigger worries in the world than what most people considered challenging.  _How tiny and helpless she once was,_ she thought to herself with a sad smile.  _Now a strong young woman, determined not to let herself be ruled by her problems. How time changes people._

 


	3. Natalie

_There was a look of disappointment that passed across her face. She had hoped that one day he might have changed. That perhaps he would see that there were enough dangers without his inventions getting into the wrong hands. She mustered an air of calm before asking him. "How is this going to help anybody?" It was a challenge._  
  
_"Well it helps our boys across the water. Maybe these will help them get home quicker." Tony posited. He had always been a firm patriot, driven to offer his genius to 'keeping America's servicemen and women safe'. He would not admit that part of him was well aware of the horrors of war, but he also recognised it paid well. Very well. And he was so good at what he did, he had been offered nearly all contracts to design and build the next generation of 'intelligent warfare'._  
  
_Indeed, the home he had built for them had been possible because of it. He had always known that she would likely not always see eye-to-eye with him; perhaps part of her had hoped her love and affection could save him from the slippery slope she clearly believed him to be on. But from his perspective he was fine; he was getting to play and nobody was going to stop him unless he wanted to. Not even, it would seem, would she be able to prevent him from doing what he wanted._

_She grimaced. Clearly she was unconvinced by his answer. She let her hands smooth the fabric of her shirt over her bump and slumped back, not particularly gracefully, into the chair at his desk. "I don't know Tony. I must admit I don't always get you. What you are doing is dangerous - you will make a lot of enemies and those enemies might come after you one day. And no matter how much money you have, it won't be enough to stop them." There was more to what she was saying than she let on; the hardened glint of a memory flickered in her warm brown eyes. Would he ever know what it was she hid from him? At least he was not hiding what he did, even if it did upset her._

_He flapped a hand in the air requesting that she speak no more on the matter. He had never liked focusing on problems, particularly problems of the kind he could not fix. "Can we not do this anymore? Come on, the way I see it, my inventions will keep people safer, they could end wars faster, and before you know it, Uncle Sam will be hitting the hay for a long period of retirement." He shrugged. She let him rake his fingers through her hair, and he took the opportunity to inhale the scent of lilac and elder flowers that was her signature perfume._  
  
_"I hope you are right. Because one day you are going to have a daughter. And I would hate for her to get mixed up in anything."  She pulled away from him and gave him a long, hard look. "You rarely see what others do."_  
  
_"What do I not see?" Tony asked, his voice raising an octave. He was so confident of himself. He liked to think of himself as sharp and witty. After all, that was all the other girls he'd ever dated had often told him, admiringly._

 _She had got to her feet, and was waddling from the workshop, her palms pressed to her lower back to support herself. She paused at the door, and looked over her shoulder. "You don't see the fear, the sadness, the heartache. You never see the victims. Not like I did."_  
  
                                                                                                                      ~ 

_The sunset trailed sanguine notes across a steadily darkening sky  and became pockmarked with stars as the redheaded agent knelt down on the roof of the Stark house and took in her surroundings with practised deliberateness. With her boss's words circling inside her head, she was determined not to get herself into any close encounters. Her targets were in. The house was lit up with warm, ambient light. The windows glowed with a flaxen welcome and for the first time that evening, she felt the cold washing on shore atop the waves. The wind carried her scent towards the house and for a moment, she tensed, as if her target might possess some superhuman sense of smell and be roused to her presence. But it was simply her years of training, the habitual flightiness that had saved her lives countless times._

_At her hip, her favoured pistol rested in its holster. To anybody else, taking a weapon to a detail as innocent as this was contraversial. Particularly when there was a minor involved. But, if her boss's intuition was right, the child's mother may have passed on more than just her good looks and her mind. She remembered how innocent her old colleague had looked the first day she had joined the program. She was slight and pretty, and she had liked her. Everybody had. She had these warm, inviting eyes and hair that tempted fingers to brush through it. She had also been a much needed boost to the speed of the program's progress._

_"Are you in position? Report." The sudden voice in her ear as her boss activated his comm device made her jump. There was never a warning as to when he would do that._

_"Dammit." She hissed._

_"Language." He teased. "I said report." He was not one to deviate from his task. He was like a whippet on the hunt._

_She looked across at the windows,_

__________________________________________________________________

It did not take long for Jupiter to freshen up and make herself presentable. She was one of those fortunate souls blessed with the ability to look good even if she had just got out of bed. She had dressed in her usual casual attire; faded skinny jeans with scuffs and tears in the legs, matched with a pair of buckskin lace-ups, a black t-shirt and a tan leather jacket. As always, the engraved silver and bone pendant, fashioned into the shape of a crescent moon which had belonged to her mother, hung around her neck on its long platinum chain. 

 

She arrived downstairs in the gym. Pepper was talking to the notary whilst her father sized up his less than enthusiastic opponent in the boxing ring. He was on his 'Happytime'. That meant getting your chauffeur to stand in as a gym instructor and boxing dummy and beating the wind out of him. Happy saw Jupiter and went to greet her but he was unable to do so before her father socked him in the face. He guffawed triumphantly and circled Happy like a sweaty housefly. Happy took a glove to his nose and checked for spots before rounding on Tony for boxing dirty. Meanwhile, Jupiter went to join Pepper and the notary to be introduced. 

 

"-and here she is. Natalie this is Jupiter, Tony's daughter." 

The woman with Pepper turned, and there was a sudden jolt in Jupiter's chest that took her by surprise. She had not been prepared for her beauty. She was roughly the same height as Jupiter with a lithe figure. Her long hair cascaded down to the middle of her back in deep red curls and framed a face as pale as fresh snow, her lips like blood drips upon it. Her feline green eyes regarded Jupiter with curiosity, and strangely there was a sense of familiarity which Jupiter could not comprehend. The corners narrowed as the smile upon her lips reached them in a friendly greeting. 

“Hello. Such a lovely name.” Natalie complimented. Her voice was a demure purr that broke soft pronunciation upon each syllable, and made a delightful shiver run up Jupiter’s spine. 

“Hello Natalie.” Jupiter answered, experiencing her voice as if from a distance. 

“What’s your name lady?” He shouted across at her, prizing her dazzling green eyes away from his daughter and on to his sweaty visage.

“Rushman. Natalie Rushman.” The notary said, without even the faintest hint of annoyance at being spoken to in such a way. She turned her face towards him, and the cold steel of focus in Tony’s eyes melted almost instantaneously. Beside her, Jupiter heard Pepper audibly huff.

Pepper had worked with Tony for a long time, and, whilst she may have gotten accustomed to most of his antics, his womanising had not been one of them. It was all too clear what she could read in the wide-eyed stare Tony was giving Natalie. Jupiter excused herself and went and sat down at the table beside the ring. Her father lifted the ropes.

  
“Front and centre of the church.” He said.

“No, Tony.” Even after all these years, Pepper had never lost her edge for arguing back. It was usually the only way she could get herself heard over Tony’s incessant noise. And she was not just going to stand there and let him make a mockery of the sharply dressed notary from Legal.

Tony ignored Pepper’s retort. “If it pleases the court, which it does.”

Pepper opened her mouth like a startled goldfish, noiseless but pregnant with an emotion she had yet to find the words to express. But, before she could even form her protest, Natalie reassured her it was alright, and obliged. She slunk across the room in a graceful, swaying walk and dipped under the ropes, straightening up in front of Tony, and letting her hypnotic eyes meet his.

Jupiter watched them curiously. They were standing there and just staring. Natalie had a calm composition, appearing unperturbed by her father’s blatant ogling. He looked at her in a way that could not have been more transparent, and tipped a splash of sickly green shake into his mouth. Jupiter realised he was waiting for her to say something, but Natalie did not. She watched him in that inquisitive way of hers from under her eyelashes, and pursed her lips.

“What?” Tony teased. He could not handle the silence anymore. He was used to women being all over him. This Natalie Rushman was a different ballgame altogether. The notary did not reply, but merely smiled and continued to look at him. He faltered, considering if there was a way to save this awkward engagement, before giving up and bailing out of the ring. He called back to Happy to give her a brief lesson, and headed straight for where Jupiter and Pepper were sat.

As soon as his buttocks made contact with the seat, he was asking. “Who is she?” He cocked his head closer to Pepper, and she pulled a face. He probably smelt as good as he currently looked.

Doing her best not to grab at her nose, Pepper crossed her legs primly and answered. “She is from Legal, and she could be a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit if you keep ogling her like that.” She hissed the last part. Jupiter grinned as she listened to them.

Tony shrugged, and flicked a screen to life that was incorporated into the shiny glass tabletop. He called across to Natalie to spell her name out, much to the uncomfortable fidgeting of Pepper beside him. The redhead spoke it slowly letter by letter as she looked across to the small gathering around the table. But her eyes did not fall on Tony. Instead, she cast her green eyes across to Jupiter and her face broke into a friendly smile. Jupiter silently thanked the powers that be that she had never been one to blush, although her heart was joyously skipping at the interaction.

For as long as she could remember, Jupiter had liked girls. As in, _really_ liked them. She had never gone public with her sexual orientation. Unlike her father, Jupiter enjoyed her privacy, although she had been sure to explain herself to Pepper. Pepper had been supportive but also nervous. It wasn’t so much Jupiter being a lesbian that worried her, but the fact that her father was inclined to be particularly ostentatious around women. And already, at least once, Jupiter had met and invited a girl around to the mansion (under careful instruction from Pepper not to mention the accident, or anything untoward), and he had put his foot in it and caused her an embarrassment. It was a globally known fact that Tony was a playboy.

Pepper’s caution had not been unwise. She recalled the one girlfriend Jupiter had ever had. She had been a pretty thing she remembered, if not a little older than Jupiter, but not too old that it would be considered a taboo. It had lasted for a week, which was not all that long in the grander scheme of things, but long enough for Jupiter to grow attached, before the woman had decided she was no longer gay. And it was made worse by the fact that she announced she was dating Tony. That had made the poor girl put her walls up. Thank god, Jupiter had not gone as far as to sleep with the girl, for Pepper thought that would have surely broken her heart even more.

Tony had brought up a lengthy résumé for Natalie Rushman and was flicking through it enthusiastically. Beside him, the colour of Pepper’s face was slowly merging with her hair. “She can speak five languages, including Latin. Who speaks Latin anymore?”

Pepper growled. “Nobody speaks Latin anymore; it’s a dead language.” She shot him a shrewd glare and asked. “What? Are you Googling her now!”

“I thought you said I was ogling her.” Tony muttered. He had found the photos and had pulled up a particularly provocative photograph. Miss Rushman lay on her stomach on a white fur rug in nothing but scanty lace lingerie that hoisted her cleavage, and left little to the imagination. He wore a mischievous look as he nudged Jupiter beside him. His daughter gave the briefest glance before she coughed politely and averted her eyes to the view outside. He smirked.

“For a lesbian as well as a Stark, you’re unbelievably frigid. Why put a lid on it? If you like a girl, go after her.” He said. Pepper tensed beside him. She was half expecting Jupiter to finally, just once, loose it with him and launch into a lengthy explanation that encompassed having her last girlfriend stolen by him, and that ‘keeping a lid on it’ was the only way she could ensure she would not get hurt again. But instead she didn’t.

Calmly, she turned back to him, and there was a guarded smile on her face. “I’ve only just met Natalie today. I don’t feel like I know her well enough to be perusing photos of that nature. And, even if I wanted to, it’d be inappropriate.” She replied.

“Thank you!” Pepper supported, gesturing to Jupiter. At least the Stark girl could see the point in exercising restraint and politeness. Even if her father could not. Then to Tony, she remarked. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because I need someone to replace you-” Tony began.

“Which is why I’ve already got three candidates, all lined up and eager to meet you.” Pepper finished his sentence, hurriedly. She had developed a stubborn bulge to her jaw, where she was clearly battling the urge to tell Tony to start thinking with his head and not the other part of him.

“I don’t have time to meet and greet people. I need someone now and I feel it’s her.” Jupiter’s father argued. He had already made his mind up, and both she and Pepper knew that, no matter how much she fought back, he would likely see to it that he got what he wanted. He crossed his arms affirmatively, like the definite full stop at the end of a declaration.

“No it’s not.” She could not resist.

Tony shrugged and was likely considering what to say next, but was interrupted by a commotion in the ring. There was an enormous crash and a thud, followed by the forceful exhalation of breath. Happy had Natalie around his neck, and she swung him round and down onto the crash-mat as if he weighed nothing. She held him there with the stoney muscles of her thighs straining against the black trousers she was wearing, until Happy began to turn purple. Reluctantly, he tapped out and scuttled to the edge of the ring, furthest away from his assailant.

“Oh my god! Happy!” Pepper crooned, standing up in tandem with Tony and Jupiter.

The driver was in no mood to be fussed. “I slipped.” He grumbled angrily, rubbing the mark around his neck where Natalie’s thighs had pinned him.

“It looked like a TKO to me.” Tony said, dinging the ringside bell for dramatic effect.

Natalie stood up and smoothed out her shirt and trousers. Slipping out of the ring with her folder safely stowed under one arm, she flicked her hair back of a shoulder and addressed Tony. “I need your impression.” She said.

Tony squinted confusedly at her. “You’re a quiet, reserved soul-”

“I meant your fingerprint.” Natalie said, with the hint of amusement on the corner of her full lips. She opened the file, directing his attention to a series of blank boxes.

Tony pulled a childish face but did as she asked. Meanwhile, Pepper, now evidently relieved that the whole awkward ordeal was over, sidled over to watch the proceedings. Jupiter hung back however, intensely aware her heart was beating faster just at the mere thought of being close to the woman again. She made her nervous, (she did not know why) but it was in a good way, and she was scared by how much she wanted that closeness. That was until Natalie turned to her. “Now Jupiter, please, if you would be so kind.”

  
As Jupiter signed the documents, Tony found himself silently marvelling at how he had not noticed what a beautiful young woman she had turned out to be. So much like her mother. When did she grow up? How come he had never seen it before? He knew he could have answered that himself had he truly considered it, but he brushed it aside, worried at the concept of having to ever come face-to-face with his demons. Jupiter had stamped her thumbprint by the final declaration, and it was complete. He looked at Pepper. “You’re the boss.” He confirmed.

“Will that be all Mr Stark?” Natalie swiftly turned to him, referring to him only in the manner that it was just his company they had signed over.

“No.” Tony answered abruptly, fixing a look of intent upon her.

“Yes, that will be all Miss Rushman, thank you very much.” Pepper cut in, eager to bring the meeting to a close. She was pleased when Natalie nodded and made her way out.

Tony at least had the good sense not to utter a word before the sound of Natalie’s footsteps had faded away. “I want one.” He demanded, like a spoilt child after a sweet.

Pepper gritted her teeth so loud you could hear it, gave him a look that could have grown icicles on Tony’s face, and replied. “No.”


	4. Fury

_"You never told me you were expecting. You look ready to pop." Her colleague feigned offence that she had overlooked giving her the news. In truth, she had wanted to keep it to herself for as long as possible before the bump gave the whole game away. There was the intense joy and fascination that only women seemed to get when addressing an expectant mother. But there was also an edge of envy that tainted the irises an even darker shade of green. She sauntered forward from the doorway in that self-assured way she'd always had, and her hand spread out across the bump._

_Her touch was gentle and warm, almost protective, which she had not expected. She had somehow convinced herself that her colleague would have a grip as cold and strong as she could be when working. It was well known in the workplace the nature of her work, what she had been trained to do all those years ago, and, what she did now for the agency they both worked for. Trying to find out anything else about her was nye on impossible. She had tried but any question she asked her would smoothly be turned back on her, and with a simple smile, she'd make you forget she'd not answered._

_She flicked her red curls over her shoulder in a surprisingly hypnotic fashion as she moved her hand back and forth._ _"Girl or boy?" She asked, levelling her shockingly iridescent eyes on her._

_"A girl."_

_"One for the team." She replied._

_"I suppose." Her response was met with a warm smile._

_"Have you got a name for her yet?"_

_There was a pause as she considered that. She had been speaking with Tony about the plausibility of names but the usual choices held no interest in her mind. Tony had wanted to call her Eve after her mother. Of course, in their own friendly way they had argued about it, with herself homing in on it being too 'biblical' but eventually settling for it as a middle name if not to satisfy her mother's spirit if she were listening in somehow. And then one night, as they were sat in the beach house together, curled into one another like they were two parts of the same being hungering to be one again, she looked up._

_There, bold and bright, Jupiter passed the night sky._

_"There!" She said, pointing up. "A sign."_

_Tony looked and raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean by that?"_

_"It's what I do, silly." She teased. "It's been there in front of me all along. We'll call her Jupiter."_  
  
_"Jupiter's a boy's name." He argued, but there was a smile that suggested he secretly liked it._

_"It's not if I say it's not. Her name will be Jupiter Eve Stark."_

_Her acquaintance brought her back from her memory with an intrigued hum. "A pretty name, I like it" She said, stroking the pistol strapped to her thigh in a way one might caress their lover. She turned to leave the room. "If she's anything like you, she'll become a great member of the family here." She had meant it innocently enough, but there was something about the term that made her hackles rise. Instinctively, her arms encircled the bump and the child within._

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Had anybody present at the signing gotten suspicious and followed Natalie Rushman from the Stark mansion, they would soon have realised she was travelling in the wrong direction. It was a federal offence to not get documents containing confidential information safely archived back at Legal within reasonable time, but the consequences of that were far from her mind.

She had slipped into the drivers seat of a black four-by-four, heading along the main highway in the opposite heading to where she was meant to be working. She was going to Washington, and to a very important arrangement that had demanded her immediate attention. And just in case anybody at Legal began wondering where the attractive new notary had got to, the person she was meeting with had thought ahead.

A duplicate had promptly been run through a scanning device Natalie had stowed safely away in the glove compartment. She had done this a safe distance from the mansion just in case anybody might see and raise the alarm. The duplicate had been printed elsewhere by an alibi, to a standard that even the most trained eye at Legal would not be able to tell it was not the original, and dropped into the hands of a private courier posing as an office worker. The documents would be in Legal’s archives before anybody even smelt a rat, which was good for her.

With the original file sat on the passenger seat next to her, Natalie Rushman journeyed to Washington. Not far from the Senate and White House, the Triskelion was an impressive feat of engineering. It was a heavily fortified and guarded outpost for her real organisation, and could not be accessed anywhere else but by a secured driveway. Once she had flicked her identity badge at the guards and passed the security fence, she parked up in the basement below the building and took the lift to the forty-ninth floor, the file once again tucked under one arm.

Her reputation within the organisation certainly preceded her. As the lift doors slid open, the armed guards posted on that level eyed her warily and shifted their weapons uneasily, as if they were afraid she might reach out and snatch them. The corridor beyond the lift was a short brightly lit aisle of white walls and a white tile floor. There were black doors with silver handles along its length, each with a glass plaque bolted to the wall next to them, displaying numbers or aliases. She headed for the very end of the corridor, and to a similar black door with a plaque that read ‘Director N J Fury’. She stopped outside the door, and rapped her knuckle against it lightly.

“Enter.” A deep voice called from the other side. Natalie rolled her shoulders back and opened the door. The room inside was pitch black, which at first made her tense out of habit. There had been plenty of dark rooms just like this one where she had been ambushed, and muscle memory kicked in, leaving her knuckles white against the ridge of the file she carried. She relaxed as her eyes adjusted, finding there to be no threats. A single beam of light came from a projector arranged on a large black desk. Behind it, a tiny white reflection from a sclera told Natalie that she was not alone. “Agent Romanov.” The accent was telltale of Alabama; a low Southern drawl, pockmarked with a musical undertone that took the edge off it, just a little.

Natalie dropped the act of the notary as smoothly and quickly as one might change their clothes. It was a skin to her, nothing more than a pretty little ruse, and these offices, not Legal, but headquarters of Shield. It was a closely guarded secret organisation that tracked potential threats to both national and global security, and she, Agent Natasha Romanov was an operative for them. “Director.” Natasha replied in the formal way expected of her.

The shadow behind the projector moved slightly closer, and the face of the man she communed with was lit up in the beam. Director Fury was a great black bear of a man, with thick set shoulders and arms as strong as the mandibles on a highly venomous insect. He had a low lying brow that made him look constantly annoyed. To add to the threatening air he exuded, he wore an eyepatch, from under which an ugly scar travailed his left cheek like a dry riverbed. “I assume you have it.” He pointedly flicked his eye to the folder she was carrying.

Natasha held it out to him. “Yes.” She let him take it from her, and made herself comfortable in a chair across from him.

There was the sound of the pages being turned as Director Fury cast his scrutinizing gaze over the thumbprints. “Excellent. I’ll have these checked for authenticity.” He said quietly. Agent Romanov nodded, and allowed her attention to be drawn elsewhere, and to the the projection on the wall. It was a still photograph inhabiting the entire West wall of Director Fury’s office. She looked at it observantly. The photograph had been snapped through a car window with a high definition lens, and the agent had managed to take a shot of a scene within a glass-sided office on the opposite side of the road. Inside the office were two adults, one man, one woman, and a small child. She was surprised to find she recognised the two adults, and she voiced her intrigue.

“Dr Hank Pym and Miss Pepper Potts, now the new head of Stark Industries.” She said, and paused to wait for Director Fury’s response.

He closed the file with a snap and put it down on his desk. He leant back in his chair and interlocked his fingers in front of him. “Correct. This photograph is from ten years ago and is dated precisely two weeks after the incident at Stark Industries.”

Agent Romanov nodded. She was getting her eye in now, in the way she had been trained to. Her gaze passed over the scene again, noting the agitated grimace on Miss Potts’ face, the professionally calm visage of Dr Pym, hands raised in an act to assure. They were in the middle of a discussion, be it heated, whilst a child gripped tightly to Miss Potts’ skirt for comfort. Its face was turned away from the camera but the braids of the hair suggested it was a little girl.

And then she noticed it. The faint blue glow around her. Like the aura of a glow worm. “Lens flare?” She contested. She could almost hear the creases appearing in Director Fury’s face as he smiled. He enjoyed deliberating, pulling apart the surface to see what was inside, and this was no exception.

“Nope. I’ve had specialists working on this for weeks. They say this is genuine. No tricks. Just a child that apparently glows Agent Romanov. A child we believe to be Jupiter Stark.” The Director said slowly. He did not wait for a response, but leant forward and flicked a switch on the projector to an archived news video. It was footage of Stark Industries from ten years ago. Thick smoke was rising from over the Arc Reactor as if a dragon resided there and was waking from a deep slumber. Rubble was trickling from a hole in the roof, and the bones of the reactor itself could be seen.

“The incident at Stark Industries. A catastrophic malfunction of a reactor core. What of it?” Natasha almost sounded bored. She had a sneaking suspicion she knew where this was going, and she did not like it.

“Our sources suggest Jupiter Stark was on-site and got caught up in this. Not as PR-” He meant Pepper. “-suggests, at school. We have good reason to believe that she was involved in a serious incident, and that something happened to her. Something which led to her being pulled from her year and homeschooled for the remainder of her childhood, something which meant nobody ever saw her outside without the assistant. And Tony Stark will not speak of it. Now, tell me Agent Romanov, if this doesn’t sound a little odd to you.”

Natasha hummed in thought. “Tony’s egotistical. He’s not a father figure. And Jupiter Stark, I met her today, she seemed normal to me.” She took a little pleasure out of the amused grin on the Director’s face; he knew what Tony could be like, and he knew just how much Agent Romanov enjoyed working around egotistical men (not at all). “Are you trying to suggest Jupiter Stark is an enhanced? I thought that ended with her mother.” She watched Nick Fury shake his head slowly from side to side.

“They are hiding something. There is something going on with Jupiter and I want to know what it is. We have a capricious playboy going around fighting wars that aren’t his in an iron suit, sure, not good for business. Meanwhile, his daughter might just be the key we need to our initiative, and he’s stowing her away like a ticking time bomb, not knowing who or rather what she is. Dr Hank Pym is a quantum physicist. Now why would a perfectly normal child have want of one of those? I need answers Agent Romanov. Which is why I’m sending you back in, cover intact, for a while.”

“And what about our other little problem?” She meant Tony Stark and Iron Man. He had been her primary mission; the addition of a heavily armoured egomaniac to America’s security was not entirely a good thing, particularly from Shield’s point of view. Tony was spontaneous, a live wire, and he was not always careful. And there was reason to believe he was ill. Espionage had reported shipments of paladium cores which they had assumed could only be for one thing, now that Tony no longer built weapons. Paladium in the chest was a short-term solution to running a super-powered electromagnet, but use it for too long and it woud be your death. He had been using it for a year now, and Shield was concerned.

Director Fury leant back into his chair, and raised his hands in an animated shrug. “You’re the best at what you do. Do it. Gain his trust. Get close. Keep your eyes and ears peeled. I want to know every conversation, decision, every move he makes. Once you have him, it shouldn’t be too hard gaining his daughter’s trust. And from what I hear from that pretty little thing we sent in a couple of years back on advanced recon, Jupiter Stark has a thing for the ladies.” He grinned, and winked. He knew she too enjoyed the company of women, and she certainly wasn’t shy about it.

“I can manage.” Natasha said in a sultry voice. Director Fury had access to all of her files, even the ones from way back when. He knew what she could do and how good she was at it, that she enjoyed it as much as people thrived on oxygen. He could write an autobiography about her life if he wanted to, even all that red that she had been so desparate to erase from her history.

“Good. Well then. Let’s get started.” He said. “As for your little excursion today, it would appear you got it just right. Our friend Mr Stark called for your instatement as his replacement assistant. Congratulations.” He said, opening a drawer from behind his desk, and pulling out a file with the faded words ‘ _TOP SECRET_ ’ ingrained into the front cover in red ink, and handing it across to Agent Romanov.


	5. Because I Like Her

_"I want our daughter to have a bright and free life." She said very quietly to Tony as she sat on the edge of his desk and watched him work._

_She may have been off work now for maternity leave, but there was something about the agency that made her uncomfortable to trust them not to shadow her. She was considered a valuable asset. As a student, she had not considered astrophysics to be a particularly high priority subject in national security, but there she was, being proven wrong. She nudged his leg gently with her own as he fiddled with the inner workings of an engine part._

_He hummed and looked up at her. "Uh, okay. I, uh, don't really know what else you want me to say." He could be infuriating sometimes; so wrapped up in his work that he often forgot how to respond in a way she hoped he would. Could he not see she was wanting of comfort? Rather than complain about it and upset him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him._

_"I mean, I don't want her doing what we do."_

_Tony gave her a look that implied he was wondering whether she was of sound mind or simply hormonal from the pregnancy. "Okay, she won't." He shrugged._

_She sighed. "Well, that's that then I suppose." She said. She straightened up and left him to his work. As she climbed the stairs back to the kitchen and living room, she couldn't help but remember what her colleague had said the other day, and yet again, her chest stirred with a sense of unease that she just couldn't shake._

_  
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

It took little for Tony to brag. Jupiter was up to her elbows in the engine of her motorbike, fiddling with the tunings. It was a Harley Davidson V-Rod with a Monocoque Body that she had had shipped out in parts and assembled herself. Like her father, she was a tinkerer, and knew how to fix and fine tune a lot of different machines, including her father’s private jet. Whilst she worked, Jarvis ran predictive diagnostics on efficiency and ran her through colour schemes (she had yet to paint it). Tony sat at his desk, muttering to himself about his latest Iron Man suit. She swore that man would never be happy with it, until it cooked cheeseburgers for him whilst simultaneously engaging in a dogfight.

It was the evening after Pepper’s promotion and an uncomfortable hush had befallen the Stark mansion. Jupiter had been sad to see her go, even though she wasn’t really leaving them as such. But the fact that, after years being woken to the sight of her smile and the crystal blue eyes peeking at her from under that auburn fringe, not seeing her every morning was going to take some getting used to. Pepper had made a solemn promise to Jupiter to visit whenever she could, which Jupiter had had to content herself with. After Pepper had left for Stark Industries, she had retired to the workshop to tend to her bikes and custom Jeep Wrangler, and to put the finishing touches to Jarvis’ new holographic program. As she had tinkered, Tony had joined her, obviously of a similar mind that throwing oneself’ into work would take away the pain of loss somewhat.

Jupiter had maintained a silence for a while, listening to some music as she worked and losing herself in the smell of motoroil and chrome. Eventually, her father leant back over his chair until his spine cracked. He exhaled his relief. “Hey Jupe.” He called. ‘Jupe’ was a nickname he had adopted for her, which she hated, but he still used it anyway. She had given up telling him otherwise years ago.

“Mhm.” Jupiter replied from next to her bike, turning her head minutely so as to imply she was listening.

“What do you think of Natalie Rushman from Legal?” He spun his chair round to look at her. He watched her hesitate, noticed the sudden tensing of her shoulderblades.

It was a long, uncomfortable pause before she answered. It was a stumbling response, as if she was trying to find alternative words, not wanting to say exactly what was in her head. But perhaps he already knew. “Well, she was nice. I liked her. I know you did. Why?” She baited her breath, expecting the usual string of words that normally followed. He was about to announce a date wasn’t he? He was going to make her feel even less comfortable around the woman if she saw her again. She could bare it from anybody else but Natalie Rushman.

“I contacted her department. She’s coming to work for us as the new Personal Assistant.” Tony’s smug grin spread from ear to ear and was palpable in the lilt of his voice. His use of ‘us’ was a loose formality; Jupiter didn’t really require much help now that she was old enough to take care of herself, and it was only when she was required to take medication that the assistant ever got involved. Her father clicked his fingers and spun back to his computer. “Yeah, done deal.”

Jupiter thought about it. Was she at all surprised? No, not at all. Was she annoyed? Yes. Because she liked Natalie, no, really fancied Natalie. Natalie was her perfect woman. She was pretty and sweet natured, and yet had enough edge she could put a man twice her size on his arse. She made her heart beat faster, and her head swim in a good way, and she liked the exotic allure of the woman too. But she wasn’t going to give her father the satisfaction by telling him that, even if he had already guessed it. She wanted to maintain a false sense of security, willing there to be a slither of hope that a woman as beautiful as Natalie Rushman from Legal would turn out to swing the same way she did. But her father was handsome, witty, smart and boundlessly wealthy. And from what she had been told (unwillingly) by many of his one night stands, he was good in bed. Natalie looked anything but gay, and as the realisation that the woman she fancied would be working with the most sought after bed partner in America, she could feel her heart sink.

Her father liked pretty things, and wherever possible, surrounded himself with them, like a magpie in a jewelery shop. Jupiter didn’t mind that often; being gay, she found it quite enjoyable to watch a series of attractive women visit the household. But she was always inherently aware that, had her mother still been alive, Tony’s womanising would have started a particularly hot conversation. “She starts in the morning. I just thought I should tell you just in case you thought she was breaking and entering, and, you called the cops.”

“Why Natalie?” She blurted out, putting the spanner down and giving him her full attention. She had not intended to sound like she was whining, but realised that was exactly what it sounded like.

He didn’t even move back around to reply. “Because I wanted her to. I think she has potential and-”

“Pepper gave you a list of candidates.” Jupiter cut in, attempting to defend the woman’s dignity in advance before she arrived and Tony promptly bedded her. Jupiter trusted Pepper; she was often a good judge of character, and she had also put a lot of effort into finding suitable replacements. She thought it would be insulting if her father simply ignored that.

Tony was flippant. “I decided I wanted Natalie Rushman. I like her.”

There it was. Jupiter bristled.

She pursed her lips and turned back to her back, feeling hurt. That was when her father got off his chair and came to crouch beside her. “Jupe.” He said. She held her tongue and did not reply.

He sighed. “Come on, Jupe. I know you fancy her. You got a little perky and hot under the collar over that photo and don’t say you didn’t.” Like a practised surgeon he had found the nerve and was prying it away. “I said that if you like someone, you go after them.” He put a hand on her back, and felt her flinch.

“I have no chance.” Jupiter said quietly.

Tony looked at his daughter, utterly baffled that a girl as splendidly beautiful as she could be so unconfident. Jupiter was everything her mother had been and more. She was as tall and slim as a dancer and she kept herself very fit. Muscles rippled under her pale skin. Her hair was as dark as treacle, long and shiny and her golden eyes, like that of her mother’s, were always aflame with spirit. And then there was her intelligence.

“Your mother turned me into somebody else. I loved her.” He was wistful, feeling the ghost of her hand on his cheek, remembering the soothing gentleness in her voice. A single tear collected in the corner of his eye.

Jupiter stopped, and finally looked at him, surprised that he had spoken of her. “You never tell me about her.” She remarked.

Tony blinked. “I know.” He stared at her. “Because she is in front of me, every day, every time I look at you. That’s all I need.”

She gawked at him, stunned. She had tried for years to ask him about her mother. And every time he had never wanted to say anything. She wasn’t sure whether now would be a good time to ask him a question, to finally, get a glimpse of what she had been like. But before she could piece together a cognitive question, the moment had passed, and her eyes were being drawn to a strange mark on his neck. It was not what she usually saw there; not a forceful mark of ownership from a one night stand hoping for more, but a mark under his skin. As if someone had taken a fine liner and scribbled an intricate tribal pattern up it. “What is that on your neck?” She squinted.

Tony faltered. His eyes were still wet and distant but his guard was up again. He appeared to shake himself, coughed and stood up quickly. He walked back to his desk with all the intent of a man who didn’t want to remember or talk about anything. Particularly not about a foreign looking mark on his neck. “I’ve booked us in for a trip to Monaco for the Grand Prix. I thought we might swing by an old haunt of mine too before we headed home - it’s a spa in Italy. It’s a great place to be healthy.” He ignored her question.

Jupiter watched him concernedly. Was there something going on with her father that he didn’t want her to know? He caught her glance reluctantly, forced a smile onto his face and said. “It’s nothing Jupe. I’m fine.” And then, like a broken TV flitting between channels, he added. “So, Natalie Rushman is coming to work for us, and we’ve got a vacation to look forward to.” He made a small motion like a fist bump and swivelled back to his computer.

“But what about Dr Pym and my issue?” She asked him. She had never been on vacation. Ever. These walls had been her permanent home since she could remember, and she only went out on her bikes for a ride to a secret beach where she wouldn’t be bothered by people, or when Pepper had been with her. Every outing began with a careful arrangement to safeguard her from giving away anything that might mark her as not normal. It had been because of this immense effort that Jupiter had not yet been discovered. Had it got out, goodness knows what would have happened to her.

“Pepper’s coming too.” Her father answered. He still felt guilty about the accident that had given Jupiter her condition. And like anything that made him even moderately uncomfortable, he swiftly changed the subject.

Jupiter stopped talking and offered herself that small amount of comfort to smile. It would be good to have Pepper along too. Pepper always knew what to do. But then another unwelcome thought came to her mind. How would Pepper manage being around Natalie Rushman as the new assistant? Specifically as she had not wanted Natalie to take over.

She forced herself to not dwell on that until it came to it. Whatever happened, it would be Tony taking the punches, not her. Her only problem now was going to be working on her poker face around Natalie Rushman. And that alone was a daunting task.


	6. From Monaco With Love

The plane landed on the strip as gracefully as a sardine can in a pit full of cats. There was a slight breeze drifting across the runway, and the pilots fought the excited jitter of the jet, steering it on its sure course down the tarmac until it slowed, and turned towards the private airport. 

Jupiter blinked, now awake following the bumpy landing, and looked out of the window at a foreign place. She was not going to admit just how nervous the sight made her feel, although Pepper being Pepper had already guessed and insisted on her taking an extra dosage of her medicine (in the private toilet, to ensure nobody else saw them) before takeoff. From experience, nerves had a habit of making her condition worse, which was dangerous for anybody in the near vicinity, so prevention was key. 

“Thank God that’s over.” Tony said, standing up out of his seat and stretching as if he were an athlete about to take on a half marathon. 

“I’ll say.” Pepper said over the edge of her laptop. She may have been on leave from her posting at Stark Industries, but even so, she had insisted checking up on emails. As she had attempted to work, Tony had buzzed around her like a blue bottle, whittering away about Iron Man, Happy and this being his first vacation in three years.

Jupiter remained silent. 

She had maintained an uneasy calm for nearly the whole flight. She had curled up in a seat by a window and read a book from cover to cover, then for one blissful hour had enjoyed Pepper’s undivided attention and played a board game. After that, she had fallen asleep, and the remainder of the journey had gone by quickly. She had slept through the refuelling stop and takeoff, until, finally, she had been woken by the plane bouncing along the landing strip in Monaco. 

She had purposefully planned to sleep as much as possible and indulge in quiet activities during the flight. And with good reason. If she got worked up, scared or took uncomfortable, bad things seemed to happen. And there was little she could do to stop it. She peeled her eyes away from the view outside and looked down at the small, black screen around her wrist. From a distance, it looked not too disimilar to a fitness watch but on closer inspection, there were no times displayed on it, just a dial and numbers that flashed green, amber or red. These were her levels and if they got too high, well, just hope everybody else runs and ducks for cover. Currently, the meter revealed a healthy green. Jupiter breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Everything alright sweetheart?” She hadn’t realised Pepper had been watching her. She turned and nodded at her.

“She’s fine.” Tony remarked flippantly. 

He had been on edge the whole flight. It was to be expected perhaps; he had stepped onto the plane shortly after answering a subpoena. The Senate had voiced their disapproval at a ‘lethal weapon’, namely the Iron Man suit, being in the hands of a citizen, even if it was a citizen that had built advanced weapons systems for American and allied forces for years, and was approved. Their attempt to leverage a warrant for the seizure of the suits, however, had failed. Tony had hacked into their secure servers and dredged up damning videos of secret attempts to copy his suit’s design, which not only would give his lawyers manouverability in suing for copyright. Among the videos he had found was teeth-jarring footage of Hammer Industries, Stark Industries’ closest competitor showing a military test pilot exactly how quickly one could go from able bodied, to paralysed from the waist down in a matter of moments. He may have won that fight, but Tony Stark was not on the straight and narrow by any stretch of the imagination; the government had him in their sights and they were not going to give up that easily. He had sat in the plane looking ragged from lack of sleep and scratching at his neck through his shirt collar while he stared off into the distance. 

Pepper narrowed her eyes at him. She was instinctively aware that it was not just the hearing that had gotten him on edge. There was something he was not sharing with her. Jupiter knew what it was but he had threatened her with confiscating her bikes if she told her before the flight. Natalie Rushman had started her new job a couple of days before, and, although she was perfectly capable, the new face around the home was taking some getting used to. 

Natalie had turned out to be surprisingly flirtatious with Jupiter. There had been a lot of smalltalk and sultry glances cast in Jupiter’s direction which she had been baffled by. She was almost too watchful of her and was obvious about it, whereas Pepper had been more subtle. Jupiter would not have minded so much as she had, had she not already been uncomfortably disturbed by the woman’s good looks. Natalie was an unfair standard of beauty, and she appeared to be very aware of it. She liked to dress herself in a way that had her father incessantly ogling and Jupiter fighting hard to control her composure. 

“I’m just making sure.” Pepper said curtly. She came and sat opposite Jupiter and reached over to check the meter. She busied herself with fussing with Jupiter’s hair whilst Tony paced the plane like an impatient housewife. 

The plane had finally come to a halt, the luggage hold was being unloaded and the flight steps were lowered. Tony promptly donned his shades, and sauntered off ahead into the Monaco sun. Happy was already outside, waiting beside a long, black limousine. Pepper had her hand firmly intertwined with Jupiter’s as they stepped off the plane.

“How was your flight, Jupiter?” Happy asked in a friendly manner as he held open the door of the car. A flight attendant had put the luggage into the boot, and Tony was already snapping his fingers, demanding they make haste to the hotel. He needed a drink and a fancy meal to take the edge off. Happy looked at her pale visage and grimaced, answering the question in his head. 

“I’ll be OK in a moment Happy.” Jupiter encouraged, dipping into the car and making herself comfortable beside her father. Pepper took a little longer to arrange her long limbs and heels until she felt comfortable. Then Happy closed the door, got into the driver seat and chauffeured them smoothly off the airport and onto the Monaco streets. 

The tinted windows were too dark for her to see much of what was slipping by outside, so Jupiter contented herself with sitting quietly, and concentrating on the level of the meter. The numbers were still in the green zone, but they had climbed a fraction, and Jupiter could feel her heart skipping. It was now a countdown to the moment when Pepper would come face-to-face with her replacement. 

And Tony was about to make that worse. 

“Whatever happens next,” he said hurriedly. “Just go with it.” He concluded, cryptically. He was also deliberately looking at anything other than Pepper. 

“Oh no. What do you mean by that?” Tony’s idea of surprises were not commonly a pleasant experience for Pepper, and she instantly got her back up. 

“Exactly what I said.”

“We’re here.” Happy announced, and Tony practically fell out of the car before it had even come to a full stop. He took a moment to wave at a gathering crowd of fans huddled outside of the hotel behind barricades. The race would go right past it, and the course designers had spared no expense on safety. There were thick corregated iron fencing with mesh tops to stop people climbing over them. Behind that barrels filled with water were meant to take the impact of a crashing Formula One vehicle. 

Pepper felt Jupiter tense at the sound of all the people beyond the caccoon of the car. She recalled that this would be the first large crowd Jupiter had experienced since she had been little. That the stifling air of publicity was all but alien to her. She squeezed her hand reassuringly. “It’s fine sweetheart.” She soothed. “Just follow my lead and walk straight in.” 

“I’m too nervous.” Jupiter admitted, just as the meter rose to amber. There was an electric buzz to her fingertips, like the hum of a wasp. 

“Follow me.” Pepper ordered. She stepped out of the car and pulled Jupiter out into the Monaco morning light. The crowd were made up of mostly journalists, and Jupiter was pretty sure she heard Pepper swear under her breath. Journalists were inherently nosey and were like dogs with a bone. Holding Jupiter’s hand tightly she quick marched them (as quickly as she could in any case in six inch heels) into the hotel reception. 

Tony had already made it in to the reception and was talking to a porter regarding their bags and room service. Pepper waited for him, and he eventually rejoined her and, hooking his arm through hers, moved them towards the entrance to a crowded dining hall. Her grip on Jupiter’s hand was becoming painful, and the girl was grateful to feel her focus deviate to Tony and her hold relax. 

“Remember what I said earlier. Just go with it.” Tony said to Pepper, fiddling with his shades.

Pepper was about to ask him what exactly he meant by that, but before she could, a very familiar face was standing in front of them, hands formally clasped together. The cat-like eyes filled with the smile on her face, and Natalie Rushman was greeting them. “Welcome Mr Stark, I have a table ready for you. How was your flight?”

“Boy, am I glad to see you.” Tony said, dragging Pepper with him as he moved closer to the personal assistant. He swept an appreciative look over the red Vivien Westwood she was wearing. They momentarily talked about what was on the schedule before Pepper broke free from his arm. 

As Natalie moved off to the table, she said. “When did this happen?” There was a subtle note of hurt in her voice. She probably felt let down that he had not even attempted to try out the candidates she had worked so hard to gather. “Jupiter, did you know about this?” Her blue eyes were trained on her now, accusing, wanting to know the dreadful secret. 

Jupiter looked shamedly at her feet and nodded. “I’m sorry, but I was told not to mention it until you saw for yourself.” She didn’t like keeping secrets from Pepper, and there was an almost disappointed glint in the woman’s eyes that made Jupiter’s heartstrings pull painfully. 

Pepper turned to Tony now. “What have I told you about using your daughter like that. It’s not fair. But Jupiter, you really should have told me.” 

“I’m glad she didn’t,” Tony said merrily. “Otherwise her bikes would have been melted down for spare parts.” He winked. 

Tony dragged Pepper away from Jupiter and into the glare of a camera waiting to take a snap of the event’s wealthiest patrons. Their pose was awkward and Pepper’s smile was a fixed ruse. She was certainly not too happy about Tony’s choice of assistant. Not happy at all. Despite the cold breeze drifting off Pepper like the wind chill over a mountain peak, Natalie Rushman stepped boldly ahead, leading them through the crowd towards their table. And Jupiter took the opportunity to head for the bar. She was not a drinker but a cold glass of something soft would set her right. And she would prefer to wait for the whole stoney ordeal between Pepper and her father blow over before she sat with them. She ordered an elderflower pressé and enjoyed watching the waiter decorate an iced glass with fresh elderflower petals before topping it up with the sweet liquid. As the drink was passed to her, and she was about to take her first welcome sip, a hand grabbed her arm. Putting the drink down, and half expecting to see Natalie there, she was more than a little surprised to be faced with a weasley little man in a grey suit, accompanied by a blonde woman who Jupiter recognised almost immediately. “Well, it isn’t Jupiter Stark is it? It is! What’cha doing here?” The man asked in an overly friendly manner. He was forcing a gleaming white smile, the fog of his cologne drifting around him like the atmosphere on a planet. 

Jupiter blinked. “I’m sorry, I don’t know you.” She admitted. 

The man feigned hurt. “Your father never mentioned me? That’s sad. Well, I’m Justin Hammer. I’m the leading weapons manufacturer in America. Well, I am now because your father quit, so it’s good for my business. But as the old saying goes, that’s the way the cookie crumbles.” He shook her hand and slithered into a tight space between her and another patron at the bar. The blonde woman flicked her fingers in a small wave. “And this is Christine Everheart from Vanity Fair.” “Oh, we’ve met.” Christine Everheart said. Indeed they had, if you could call it meeting. She had had a one night stand with Jupiter’s father, had gotten lost the morning after and ended up in Jupiter’s bedroom in the early hours. But, rather than leave she had attempted to get an exclusive on Jupiter Stark, the fabled ‘Mystery Girl’ of Stark Industries. Thankfully, Pepper had turned up and quickly shooed her away, with a warning that she always took out the trash. 

“Sure.” Justin Hammer said. He’d ordered a drink for himself and took a tenative, if not, noisy sip. He flinched and his face scrunched painfully. Catching Jupiter’s look, he said. “It’s my teeth, I just had them whitened.” 

“Right. It was really pleasant meeting you, but I think I should find my table.” Jupiter said, going to stand, but Justin Hammer caught her. He gripped her arm in that invasive way he had done so a moment before, and his eyes fell on the wristwatch that wasn’t a wristwatch. 

“Well, well, what is this?” He drew her arm closer for a better look. “Strangest watch I ever did see. How does it work?” There was a knowing look in his eye that made Jupiter’s flesh crawl. 

Christine Everheart was bending in for a look too, and Jupiter tensed and snatched her hand away. “I apologise, I don’t like being touched.” She hastily constructed her excuse. The two of them were bearing down on her, looking for a way in past her wall, and, she was sure Christine would have pushed her into a corner and forced an interview, had it not been for a familiar and very welcome voice which piped up then.

“Jupiter!” She could have thrown her arms around Natalie and kissed her. The woman was stood there in her red dress, her rouged lips clenched sternly, and she had adopted a fierce look in her eyes. She was throwing those daggers at Justin Hammer, and the man noticeably shrunk back, smiling apologetically like a guilty Labrador caught stealing biscuits from a tin. She extended one manicured hand, and gratefully, Jupiter took it. “With all due respect Mr Hammer, touch Jupiter again and we’ll be having words.” Her tone was frosty. She pulled Jupiter close to her, like a protective lover. “Woah, woah, hey come on. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just curious is all.” Justin raised his hands submissively, the single white rose in his lapel dropping a petal as if it were a peace offering. 

“That’s what killed the cat.” Natalie said stiffly, perhaps taking enjoyment out of the horrified look the little man gave her, and pulled Jupiter through the crowds back to the table. As they walked, Natalie was looking Jupiter up and down hurriedly. “Did he hurt you? What did he say?”

“I’m alright Natalie. Thank you.” Jupiter said assuredly. 

“You’re welcome.” She said, the hint of smugness in her voice. She turned to face Jupiter and her face was serious, protective. “Please don’t wander off without me.” She said. It was not a question. 

Jupiter stammered, now struck with the full force of Natalie’s green-eyed gaze. She stumbled over her words, finally managing a meak. “Alright, I won’t.” 

Natalie’s face broke into a dazzling smile. “Great, your table is just over here.” She ferried Jupiter over to a table set for three, by a window that overlooked the track. Tony and Pepper were already there, their initial disagreement now forgotten, and happily reading the menu. 

“Natalie, where was she?” Pepper asked, as Jupiter took her seat. 

“At the bar Miss Potts.” Natalie said cordially. 

“Very well, thank you.” Pepper dismissed the assistant, allowing her to mingle with the other guests as the three of them turned their attention to food. 

All of a sudden, Tony got up, excusing himself to visit the restroom. Thinking nothing of it, the two women sat and continued reading. But after a good twenty minutes had passed, Pepper began to get suspicious. 

“Where’s your father?” 

Jupiter craned her neck to see past the crowd. There was no sign of him and she admitted defeat. She did not know, and did she want her to look for him?  
“No, you stay right there.” 

“Natalie.” Pepper called across to the assistant. But as the woman was making her way over to the table to answer the summons, Pepper froze, eyes borne aloft to a television screen. Jupiter had just noticed too and was looking at a screen behind Pepper, where a very familiar man was stepping out onto the track, dressed in a fireproof racing suit and looking very pleased with himself. 

The crowd outside could be heard going wild, as news reached them that Tony Stark had opted to drive his car in the race today. Like all wealthy donors, he had bought one, and funded the race team and drivers for his vehicle. But today, something had gotten into him, something which smelt foolishly reckless. Tony stopped in front of the camera and said. 

“I suddenly had a thought, what’s the point in owning a Formula One car, if you don’t get the chance to drive it.” He flicked his thumbs at himself and a group of besotted podium girls squeeled. Meanwhile, the man who was supposed to be driving, threw down his helmet and stormed off in a rage. 

Natalie had made it to the table. “Yes Miss Potts?” 

“Did you know about this?” Pepper asked, gesturing to the TV. 

Natalie looked perplexed. “This is the first I’ve heard of it.” She said truthfully. 

“This can’t happen.” Pepper had turned a shade of grey. 

“Absolutely, how can I help?” Natalie offered diplomatically. 

“Where’s Happy?” Pepper had now passed through her initial shock, and she was simmering beneath the fitted bodice of her sky blue dress. 

“He’s outside.” 

“Get him.” She ordered.

“Rightaway.” Natalie trotted off as quickly as she could through the crowd. Jupiter reached out and took Pepper’s hand to offer some comfort. She looked just about ready to scream, and her hand was shaking beneath Jupiter’s fingers. Eventually, the auburn-haired lady had gained enough composure to say to her. 

“Your father is an idiot sometimes. An idiot.” The race had started, and the cars were screaming past the very window they sat beside, Among the blur shooting past the hotel window, was Tony Stark, at the wheel of a superpowered machine he had never driven before, on one of the most dangerous Grand Prix tracks in the world. 

Jupiter pulled an agreeing face and nodded slowly. 

Not long after, Natalie returned with Happy in tow. With him, he carried a shiny crimson case that was handcuffed to his wrist. Tony never went anywhere without a suit. He held it up pointedly to Pepper and she rose without hesitation. To the assistant she ordered. “Stay with Jupiter. In fact, take her up to the room and keep an eye on her. Stress is no good for her.” 

“Of course, Miss Potts.” Natalie said as calmly as she could afford. She put a gentle hand on Jupiter’s shoulder, silently asking her to stand and follow her back to the reception room, as Pepper disappeared outside with Happy.  
Natalie got the keycard from the front desk and called for a lift. As the doors opened, they slipped inside. It was just the two of them in there. As the slide doors closed and the lift crawled into motion, Jupiter realised she was shaking and that there was a dull pain in her head. She glanced at the meter on her wrist. The numbers were amber. The anxiety welled up inside her chest and pushed against her ribs. She was too worried to even consider that she would usually be wrapped up in keeping a straight face around her beautiful companion. 

“Here we are.” Natalie announced as the doors finally opened onto the penthouse suite. It was an enormous apartement space that took up the entire top floor of the hotel. It had its own kitchen and living room, a large balcony where one could enjoy the views of Monaco and watch the Grand Prix from above in private. There was also a pool, and three large bedrooms with kingsized mattresses that swallowed you up. As Jupiter stepped out, the pain in her head intensified. 

She hissed like a feral cat and grabbed at it, stooping over as if to recoil from the pain. Natalie’s arms flashed out to hold her. “Are you alright?” She said, nervously. Her face had distorted into a worried frown. 

“I-I think I need to sit down.” 

“Alright, just over here.” Natalie guided her to the sofa, set her down gently and went to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water. With Jupiter cradling her head on the couch, Natalie was able to rummage in her little clutch bag for the plastic tube she had been carrying for the past couple of days. 

It contained two minute pill-shaped objects which had been coloured blue and looked not dissimilar to the tablets that Jupiter took. She unscrewed the tube and let the tiny tracking device and the sedative fall into her palm. She then took out a real pill and laid it alongside the fake ones, ensuring that Jupiter would not be able to tell the difference. As she filled up the glass, she cracked open the one pill containing the sedative and dissolved it into the water, before she picked it up and returned to Jupiter.

The girl had settled a little but she still looked unwell. Natalie perched herself on the arm of the sofa, flicking her long hair to one side of her and offering the water and the pills. “It’s best if you take these.” She said. She made a mental note of the numbers on Jupiter’s wrist meter. She would need to have a word with Director Fury, and soon. She was destabilising, if only slowly, but it was worth reporting. 

Jupiter took them without a word, laid back and closed her eyes. It didn’t take long before her breathing slowed and her body relaxed. Just to be sure, Natalie touched her cheek, uttered her name, and checked her pulse. She was pleased to find the girl unresponsive. She opened up her bag and found the communication earpiece. It activated as she fiddled it into her ear. 

“Agent Romanov. I was not expecting contact quite so soon.” The familiar voice of Director Fury was saying.

“I know.” Natasha said just as a huge explosion erupted outside, followed by the screams of onlookers. A plume of ash and smoke billowed into the clear blue sky. “But something just came up.”


	7. I Want to Disappear

A couple of days had passed since the vacation to Monaco. If it could even be called that anymore for it had been cut short for reasons that had gotten the whole world in a spin. Pepper may have described it better. What had she called it? An epic catastrophe that had left a number of Formula One drivers hospitalised, and one very angry Russian immigrant in a self-made powersuit awaiting the death penalty for the attempted murder of Tony Stark. But did Tony look bothered? Did he even look mildly concerned by it all? No, because Tony was not being himself.

“Can’t we just stop by that spa I told you about?” He asked Pepper. He had done his best to flatter her into submission with an in-flight meal cooked by himself; the unidentified cremated object had remained untouched and she was eyeing him up concernedly. She had taken charge following the disaster in Monaco, and she was not swaying from her intended direction. They were up in the air, on their way back to America. But Tony didn’t appear to want to go home.

“What’s going on with you Tony?” She asked, as Jupiter sat with Natalie fawning over her. She was still sleepy and out of sorts (Natasha had seen to it that more sedative had been dropped off at a secret location in Monaco, and she was readministering it every couple of hours). Pepper had granted Natalie permission to fly home with them, in order that she might keep an eye on Jupiter. She would be too busy handling her father to have much time for his daughter as well. Besides, it would appear that Natalie was very good with her, and that Jupiter and Natalie got on notably well.

Tony looked sullen. “I just don’t want to go home. Not ever.” He said. That was not like him at all; Tony never missed a birthday party, particularly not his own. He was due to hit his mid-thirties in three days and a lot of people had been invited. It didn’t answer her question in the slightest but he didn’t care. He had no intention of telling anyone, not even his own daughter that the paladium in his chest was slowly killing him. And besides, Jupiter herself looked more likely to kick the bucket right now than he did. He shrugged. “I just want to go to that spa, in Italy, you know the one; it’s a great place to be healthy.”

“I have a company to run.” She said. Although, she could not help but remember the spa, and how good they had both felt afterwards.

“As CEO you are entitled to leave.”

“I’ve just been on it, technically.” She said sarcastically (for what a leave it was), blinked at him in disbelief, that he might actually be telling her not to go back to work at the company she now owned.

Tony huffed and looked out of the window at the clouds cruising by. Pepper took a brief moment to ask Natalie how Jupiter was. “She’s alright for now Miss Potts, just sleeping.” The pretty woman assured.

“Great. Thank you Natalie. You are free to go and eat something, have a drink or a shower if you’d like.” Pepper offered her reprieve. The assistant thanked her, and left Jupiter to sleep in the chair by the window, and Pepper turned her attention back to Tony. He was staring out at the snowy clouds brushing past the wingtips of the jet, lost in some private part of his mind that nobody else was allowed to see.

“Tony, are you keeping something from me?”

His mouth was a thin line, as he looked at her with dark, watery eyes. Slowly, he shook his head.

He didn’t speak for the rest of the flight, and remained stubbornly quiet all the way back to the mansion. For the next three days, he locked himself up in his workshop, not even admitting entry to Colonel James Rhodes (his dearest friend) who came to see how he was. But that didn’t stop him. Over the years, Colonel Rhodes and Pepper had learnt that the only way one was ever to going to see Tony was if you forced your way in and demand he spare a little time.

“Where is he?” He asked Pepper and Natalie, who were settled in front of the fireplace handling a barrage of calls from press and company-related enquiries. It had been an all out attack from the media and public regarding the events in Monaco, and the poor women were bravely fighting the tide side by side, whilst Tony cowered in his workshop. Everybody knew about the attack in Monaco by now, and there were rumours abound that Tony Stark was no longer fit to protect American interests even when he was inside his suit. In particular, the military and government were currently in agreement that the suits were no longer safe in the hands of Tony. The National Guard were itching to raid his home and Colonel Rhodes had been the only one to stand in their way. With his rank, nobody had dared go against him, and he had come to the mansion to give Tony the news, and to tell him to clean his act up.

Natalie was the first to respond. “He doesn’t wish to be disturbed.” He had told her to say that as he disappeared down the spiral staircase to his workshop. She was still relatively new and had quite a lot to learn about what to listen to and regard as definitive.

“Downstairs.” Pepper said, erasing the initial comment made by Natalie, and bobbing her head towards the stairs. Colonel James Rhodes was one of those special people who didn’t have to take notice of Tony’s demands. After all, Colonel Rhodes had been one of the men onboard the helicopter that had found him in the desert. Tony owed him his life.

“And where’s Jupiter?” The Colonel asked, moving towards the staircase.

“She’s upstairs in her studio painting.” Natalie said, not even looking up from the pile of paperwork, the phone held firmly to her ear. She returned to assuring the caller on the other end of the phone that Tony was indeed sound of mind, and that he could be trusted, etc, etc. Colonel Rhodes made his way down to the workshop, and whatever ensued between them remained confidential. But shortly after, the airman climbed the stairs, his face hard and the stance of his shoulders suggesting that whatever had happened down there, it had not been good. He uttered only a brief goodbye before he left the two women to battle on.

Meanwhile, upstairs, in a room that had been made into a private studio for Jupiter to draw and paint, and play her music (for she was very artistically talented), she sat before a canvas that still smelt strongly of fresh paint. She had painted in a blur, not really seeing what she had been doing, until finally, exhausted, she put the paintbrush down and stepped back from it.

It was a forest scene with sentinel birch trees and aspens, the horizon just about visible and the burning sun trailing ribbons between the trunks. She had spent quite some time texturing the forest floor so that it felt as if one could simply step forward into the painting. She was imagining walking through the forest, the smell of the leaf mulch and the cocophony of birdsong in her ears, when a polite knock at the door signalled Natalie had arrived to check on her.

“That is beautiful.” The woman said as she admired the painting. The studio was filled with wonderful paintings. Jupiter liked to paint abstracts inspired by the colours of the planets but today had taken her on a journey into landscapes. And Natalie considered that she was more than just an abstract painter.

“Thank you.” Jupiter said, quietly. “You know, I would like to live somewhere like that one day. With the trees and the wind and the birds for company. I don’t need much.” She sounded wistful. Her life now was of her father’s design. He liked busy bustling cityscapes filled with people who could shower him with their adoration. He liked long straight roads where he could floor the gas pedal on his supercars. Whereas she had always wanted to see the forests and to live wild where she could be away from people. All she needed was one bike and a suitcase and enough knowledge about building a cabin to be set.

Natalie smiled. She knew somebody back at Shield who would have shown her a place not far from her dreams. He was a good friend of hers and had built a life in the wild with his children and his wife. But only she was allowed to know that; he was very secretive about his life outside of the organisation. She could understand that. Working for Shield was sensitive business and people on the outside could easily get hurt if you weren’t careful.

“I sent the readings to Dr Pym earlier,” Natalie said carefully. She had been told how little Jupiter enjoyed talking about her condition. But what she had to tell her needed saying. “I’m afraid it’s not good news.” In truth, Natasha Romanoff posing as Natalie had not sent the reports to Dr Pym but to Shield. There were specialists there dedicated to the Jupiter Stark case. Their conclusion had been carefully reached and swiftly given. Jupiter Stark would die if she could not be persuaded to come to Shield. Or, worst case, Agent Romanov didn’t find some way to overpower and deliver the girl to them.

“Does Pepper know?” The girl asked, sighing, oblivious of the sinister truth that was Natalie Rushman. She had already been told long before that her condition would eventually get worse. It no longer surprised her and she saw no point in getting scared over something inevitable. Everybody died. Some sooner than later. She just had to enjoy the time she had. Hank Pym had hailed her outlook. He had been unable to find an actual cure for her condition. It was a progressive ailment that buried itself into her core nervous system, or so he had offered as a simplified explanation to her. Though she was aware he was not entirely sure, even now, how she was alive. He had been working in the field of quantum physics for years and what Jupiter Stark portrayed baffled him.

Natalie shook her head. “Not yet. I thought you might want to tell her yourself.”

Jupiter scrunched her face. “How do I tell someone that this condition is slowly killing me? That I’m dying. Pepper didn’t want to believe, she won’t believe it. And she’s already got so much to deal with. She doesn’t need me on top of that as well.”

Natalie’s nod was slow and not fully in agreement. But Agent Romanov sitting behind this ruse was. The thing was, Jupiter’s condition could not be dealt with in this way; in front of family and friends. It was something far greater than anybody had expected possible, and only she and the operatives handling the Stark mission at Shield knew that. Besides, Dr Hank Pym, with all his expertise could only do so much without Jupiter living in his laboratory twenty-four seven. Shield had both the resources and habitat to accommodate her needs, if only they could find a way of getting her there, and on their side. Deciding not to push the Stark girl toward a decision that would jeopardise Shield’s closely guarded plans, she changed the subject.

“What did you get your father for his birthday?” She asked.

Jupiter nodded her head towards a table where a metal component was sat ready to be wrapped in the paper it was placed upon. “I’m just about to wrap it. It’s a focus beam for Jarvis’ new holographic program. He asked me to make it for him. I’m going to wrap it in a moment.”

“You really built this?”

Jupiter nodded. She had always been good with her mind; complex mathematics and physics were as easy to her as breathing. She had learnt by watching her father building his computers and suits, and, using Jarvis’ boundless knowledge, had acquired an astonishing depth of knowledge.

“You’re very good.”

Jupiter did not reply, she’d picked up her paintbrush and was fussily adding a small detail into the painting. Natalie moved behind her to watch. She was placing a silohuette of two figures into the painting, walking close together into the sun, as if walking to the edge of the forest to watch it rise.

“Is that you and your father?”

Jupiter shrugged. “I doubt my father would want to do anything like this with me.”

“Well I would do it with you.” Natalie offered, sounding sincere. “You must get lonely.” She had noticed how little time Tony offered her. It was sad from her point of view to see somebody with so much potential to love not being part of something other than a pawn within an elaborate prison cell.

Jupiter was looking at her now, questioningly. Natalie did not look away but met her gaze with a certainty. “Sometimes.” The girl said, her glorious golden eyes glowing with sadness. “I like to think one day I could meet someone who just gets me. Who does not regard my condition as a dividing factor in our relationship. Someone I can simply walk through a forest with and be totally myself with.”

“A walk sounds nice.” Natalie smiled. A forest would be the perfect place to escape her reality. She had a dark past she never liked to be reminded off that possibly a stroll in a wild place would suppress. Then the Shield operative took over.

Agent Romanov, with all her years of training, knew what to do. This was the moment that she had been waiting for. ‘Win her over’ Director Fury had instructed her. And knowing what she knew about Jupiter that would not be too difficult she supposed. She reached out with Natalie’s hand, and cupped the girl’s cheek, revelling in how soft the skin was beneath her palm. “You are not alone anymore.” She whispered gently, and stooping forward, placed a chaste kiss on Jupiter’s forehead, before she swiftly turned and left the room, timing her walk just so that the girl could be swayed by the rocking allure of her hips.

“I really like you Natalie.” Jupiter said shyly to the back of her. The unexpected gesture had broken her secret free just as the agent within Miss Rushman knew it would. She had been trained to seduce and to get close to a target. She was doing her job. Or so she thought.

Beneath her skin, Agent Romanoff felt a tug under her ribs. She stubbornly tried to ignore it. She was an operative, and people in her line of work weren’t meant to get attached. Usually. But try as she might, Natasha realised with a sinking feeling, that the initial task of winning Jupiter Stark over was playing on her own heart as well. Try as she might, and despite all that was expected of her, she was falling for her too.


	8. Birthdays & Bash-Ups

Her father had spared no cost for his party. He had the best of everything and the guests were thoroughly enjoying the lavish arrangement. All but Jupiter. She was most displeased to see Christine Everheart among the guests; Tony had an infuriating habit of inviting his one night stands to private parties at the mansion, which often resulted in awkward conversations. After what had happened in Monaco, Jupiter was understandably on edge. Although, the unexpected contact and meaningful kiss (it might not be on the lips but Jupiter considered it still counted) from Natalie had given her a little courage. And she thought it best to at least show her face for a short while for her father’s benefit.

She had changed into a slinky black dress and heels; even though she did not enjoy wearing them, she was going to make the effort nevertheless. She French-braided her hair on one side of her head, leaving the rest to tumble down to her waist in a silken fall, and applied a little rouge to her lips (although makeup was one of those things she rarely bothered with). She never took off the necklace that had belonged to her mother though troubled herself with polishing it up. And, although she would be in the house, she carried her medication with her in a small clutch bag, just in case.

Walking through the crowded room to her father, with the wrapped parcel in one hand, she was uncomfortably aware of curious eyes upon her. Most had already met Jupiter in similar functions to this, though there were some new faces who seemed surprised to discover Tony Stark had a daughter, and boy was she beautiful. Jupiter did her best to keep her head up and appear confident as she slipped by Christine Everheart who shot her a wary glance and sucked on her lip. The only approving glances that mattered were that of her father, Natalie and Pepper, all who double took when they realised who it was slipping through the crowds. “Oh my gosh, honey, you look stunning.” Pepper cooed, giving Jupiter a hug and pecking her on the cheek.

Natalie gawked, and said nothing. There was a strange, faraway look in her eyes that Jupiter mentally remarked upon. It was the first time Natalie Rushman had ever been speechless. She gave a greeting nod to the assistant and moved towards her father. Natalie’s eyes followed her, and the hungry glint in her eyes was almost palpable.

“Happy Birthday dad.” She said, kissing him on the cheek and ignoring the musty alcohol scent of his breath. She slipped the neatly wrapped parcel into his hand. But he barely noticed it.

He was looking at her in disbelief. “You look…you look so…” He was trying to say how wonderful she looked. That her mother was within her, that how she appeared before him now had recalled a memory of their first date. He held back the tears and the sorrow; it was a happy memory, even if he was not. Finally, he shook himself out of it and opened the gift she’d given him. “A focus beam. You genius kid. Come here.” He kissed her on the top of the head, which in itself was a foreign thing to Jupiter, judging by her face.

He handed the focus beam back to her. “Fancy installing it kid?” He asked, winking at her. After she had thread her way through the crowd and down to the workshop, he turned his focus back to drinking and merriment with the other partygoers. He had started early; Natalie had made him a martini as she helped him pick out a watch and cover up the fading bruise over his right eye where the angry Russian had socked him. He was already starting to feel quite dizzy - good, that’s what he’d wanted-, and so he poured himself another glass of something strong (without reading the label; as long as it was potent and alcoholic it didn’t matter) and drank it down, turning his attention to the DJ and requesting a number.

Jupiter had not been aware she had been followed until she’d placed the focus beam into Jarvis’ drive, rebooted him, and turned around. Natalie Rushman grabbed her by the waist and pressed her up against the wall firmly. Her body was against hers, her breathing short and fast, and the delicate scent of roses enveloped Jupiter.

“You’re so beautiful.” She purred dangerously. There was the hunger in her eyes again. Jupiter felt her heart leap, mostly out of shock at first at finding someone else behind her, and then in response to being roughly shoved against the wall of the workshop.

The woman’s face slowly crept towards Jupiter’s. Her lips were slightly parted in expectancy of the kiss and Jupiter shivered in anticipation. When their lips finally met, it was a delicate brush, the finest touch that caused both women to inhale shaky breaths. Jupiter felt, with rising excitement, Natalie’s hand smoothing her waist and slowly trailing down onto her thigh. The other held her firmly against the wall. She was unbelievably strong and had it been anyone else, Jupiter would have found it unsettling, but the dominance exuding from this woman was stimulating. “Natalie.” Jupiter whispered. She had never done what she had a feeling was about to happen. Her heart was flapping frantically at the very thought. Besides, what if someone found them? Natalie would surely lose her job!

The beautiful redhead did not reply, she simply pushed her lips firmly against Jupiter’s and slid her tongue into her mouth. Jupiter felt her mind go blank and her eyes close, a satisfied hum rippling through her as she let Natalie win her over. She was a good kisser, and her tongue deftly explored her mouth. The hand on her thigh was creeping inwards, following the curve of it to something warm and inviting. Jupiter was moaning softly into Natalie’s kiss, eager now and not in the least bit afraid. All that remained of her former self was the electric buzz of her skin as her excitement built. She was ready for this.

Then very suddenly, as if nothing had happened, Natalie pulled away from the kiss. She backed off from Jupiter, blinking at her as if she had said something or done something inappropriate. “I’m sorry. I can’t.” She said quietly. She looked at her feet and ran a hand through her hair, smoothing it back down and rearranging her dress where it had scrunched against Jupiter’s body.

“What did I do? I’m sorry.” Jupiter was confused. She had just been set upon by a woman that had been every inch wanting of her, yet now stood before her as if she were ashamed by her actions. As if she were willing the previous moments away, that they might never have happened.

Natalie shook her head. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I just can’t.” She explained matter-of-factly. Had she been truthful, Agent Romanov had wanted nothing more than to take this beautiful girl in her arms and love her as only she deserved. But there were problems with that. Problems she really didn’t want to address but had to as a formality.

Firstly, Shield expected her to remain professionally detached. She was a decoy to win Tony Stark and his daughter’s trust. Then Shield would take over and there was no knowing how deep they would go with the both of them. Getting attached at this stage would only make it harder to let them do what they had to. Secondly, Director Fury had suggested Jupiter might be dangerous, and getting this close and personal with her, despite how attracted she had become, could put herself at risk. Without Shield’s support, Agent Romanov would surely have been six feet under, lying cold in the ground by now, and she could not imagine a life outside of the organisation; it was all she’d known. So she had forced herself to stop.

The girl had been so willing, so open and wanting of her. And in the moment of seeing her coming towards her through the crowd at the party, looking more beautiful than she’d ever thought possible, Natasha had forgotten herself. She had been holding herself back for a while now; recalling the expectations of Director Fury whilst battling the deep desire that had grown within her for Stark’s daughter. She may have been a woman with wants and desires, but she was also an operative and finally, the agent had won.

Jupiter’s eyes filled with tears. She was desparate to understand and Natasha forced Natalie’s eyes to look anywhere else but at her. She was aware she was probably breaking the poor girl’s heart at this moment. “Why did you kiss me? Was it not what you wanted?” She questioned.

“Jupiter, I can’t tell you exactly what it is. I’m sorry.” Natalie told her (even though she really wanted to) and before the girl could say anymore, she had turned her back and walked back upstairs to rejoin the party. In the workshop, Jupiter felt her knees weaken beneath and dropped to the floor, sobbing. Sensing her distress, Jarvis activated.

“I am detecting elevated stress patterns. Is there anything I can do for you Miss Stark?” He asked.

“N-n-no, thank you Jarvis.” Jupiter snivelled, curling her knees to her chest as she rested against the wall. “I just need a moment.”

“Very well Miss Stark.” The computer replied, and deactivated.

Jupiter did not care how long she had sat there for. In that time, curious partygoers rambled up and down the stairs, peering in through the glass. They couldn’t see her from where they were so she remained still, and stared off into the distance, trying to memorise the feeling of being kissed by Natalie Rushman. Why was this happening to her again? Had Natalie fallen for her father just like every other woman Jupiter had liked had done? Her heart had sunk into the concrete beneath her. When the door opened and her father entered the workshop, she made no effort to talk to him, and he was too drunk to realise she was not herself. He giggled like a mischievous child at her, believing her to be simply under the influence and donned a suit, flashing her a stupid smile as he clinked up the stairs back to where the revellers were all waiting to get a glimpse of Tony Stark in his snappy iron suit.

Natalie did not return and neither Pepper nor anybody else bothered her. That was until Colonel James Rhodes stormed down into the workshop. He was a close friend and he had been granted special access to the workshop. He typed in his code with angry stabbing motions of his finger, and his face was awash with rage. When he saw Jupiter, he paused, working his expression into something a little softer. “Jupiter. What’re you doing down here? Are you OK?” He asked, noticing her wet eyes.

Jupiter couldn’t help herself. She broke down in tears. Expressing his empathy, he pulled her into his chest. “What’s happened?” He had always liked her and looked out for her, and there had not been many times that he had seen her so forlorn. He personally felt Tony Stark had never really shown the girl what a proper father could be like, something which he had told the man on several occasions. He had already decided that Tony had likely done something or said something to upset her, which was further fueling his outrage at what was currently happening upstairs.

“It’s-” She began, just as a loud crash came from above them, followed by cheers and shouts. She paused and looked up at the ceiling, her brow furrowed.

Colonel Rhodes growled in his throat like an unhappy dog. He stood up, letting go of Jupiter. “Sorry Jupiter, I’ll talk later, I promise. There’s something I’ve got to sort out first.” He went to the wall where her father’s Iron Man suits were on display, and picked out the first prototype. It was a silver suit which Tony had taken his first test flight in and it functioned perfectly. Colonel Rhodes was typing furiously into the keypad on the wall, and to Jupiter’s disbelief the firewall bleeped and the suit hissed open. Stepping into it, Rhodes gave Jupiter one last look. “I made a promise Jupiter, we’ll talk.” He said just before the mask slammed shut over his face.

The silver suit that was now Rhodes stamped up the stairs towards the sound of the commotion. Jupiter now realised something was up; it was not like Colonel Rhodes to act in such a manner, and the crashing and banging signified that the party had taken an unexpected (and from Colonel Rhode’s perspective, an unwelcome) turn. What followed shortly after was devastating. The cheering and drunken chatter abruptly stopped and was replaced with shouts and warnings as a hundred or so happy revellers quickly left the building. Jupiter had crept out onto the stairs, not really wanting to get involved and also not liking the idea of bumping into Natalie even more. In his borrowed suit, Colonel Rhodes was crossing the now vacant room.

"You don't deserve to wear one of these," he said, pointing an accusing finger at Jupiter's father. "You disrespect your family and you disrespect me."

Jupiter gasped as she looked across to where her father was stood. He had the mask of Iron Man up and his drunken smirk was an insult. He swayed dangerously as the suit counterweights whirred to keep him upright. He grabbed hold of a mic off the DJ booth and into he said. “Goldstein.”

A shaky young man appeared from behind the booth where he had been hiding. “Y-yes Mr Stark?” He asked, his eyes pleading to let him out with the rest of the guests.

“Give me a flat beat to Another One Bites the Dust.” He said, rolling forward into fits of giggles. That was when Rhodes grabbed him around the middle.

“Shut. It. Down.” He warned.

Tony shrugged, dropped the mask over his face and put the rear thrusters into full reverse, catapulting himself, and Colonel Rhodes across the room, and through a wall into the gym. Jupiter stifled a scream as she heard the two men go at eachother full pelt, chucking heavy gym equipment and throwing punches. A dumbell came sailing through the gap in the wall and smashed the television screen into a shimmering rain over Jupiter’s head. The deafening sound of the fight was making her nervous and she quickly noticed that her hands had begun to, not just pulse as they usually did, but glow. Her head was spinning and her breath was squeezing itself out of her lungs as if she were drowning. Purplish-blue light was pouring from her hands as if she had spilt brandy over herself and set herself alight. She nearly fell backwards down the stairs as she recoiled from the sight of them.

From somewhere close by, over the din of two tin men trying to beat eachother senseless, there came a shout. Somebody was running down the stairs. It was Natalie. Jupiter hesitated. The woman caught sight of her as she raced towards her.

“Jupiter!” She had made it down the first flight of stairs and was heading towards her. Jupiter retreated down the stairs. Natalie was the last person she wanted to see right now. Had she not already had enough of toying with her? Natalie reached her before she could properly turn and run back to the workshop. Her hand gripped onto the girl’s shoulder and Jupiter flinched. “What! What do you want now!” She could not help the frustration spill out of her as she whipped round. She was angry now. Natalie had made her feel like a fool, and had simply left her to be alone and sad whilst she partied on with the guests. She didn’t care that Natalie could see her hands, as she turned to give her a good look at the burning rage in her eyes.

“Jupiter, I.” She stopped, unable to find the words. Her eyes were fixated on the lightning coursing up Jupiter’s fingers, wrapping purple and electric-blue tendrils around her palms and wrists. And the girl was so angry, so upset. ‘What did you expect?’ Agent Romanov told Natalie. ‘You led her on.’ She silently told the voice in her head to shut up. Now was not the time to hesitate. She moved a little closer, boldly holding out her hands.

“You hurt me.” Jupiter admitted, feeling the glow creeping higher up her arms like a warm blanket enveloping her. It tingled like electricity on her skin. She backed away a little more.

“It’s not safe here. You have to come with me.” Natalie encouraged. “Please, I’ll tell you later. Just please come with me.” Her eyebrows lifted with her plea. Behind her, the two men in their armoured suits were battling on, their punches getting ever stronger, their insults filling the air with a tension that made Jupiter’s skin prickle.

Natalie reached out to her, her face insistent. “Please, I promise I will tell you what’s going on. Just come with me.”

“People who make promises to me generally are not telling the truth.” Her eyes were guarded, but even as she said it, Jupiter Stark extended her hand, and took Natalie’s. She was too busy listening to the sounds of the fight going on above, too drawn in by Natalie’s astonishing eyes, to notice the fine needle being slipped under the skin of her wrist.

“Come on, downstairs.” Natalie said. In her head, she was counting to ten.

Jupiter made two of the stairs before the drug kicked in. “Fuuuh” she murmured as she fell foward, and Natalie caught her. The blue glow (thankfully) had subsided mostly, and Natalie picked the girl up into her arms. Jupiter was fairly light, which Agent Romanov was grateful for. She had a short distance to carry her but she would be able to move faster with a lighter load. She typed in the code to the workshop door as she balanced the unconscious girl against her. Jupiter’s head and her beautiful thick hair fell over Natasha’s arm as she lifted her up against her chest and passed through the door, making a beeline for Jupiter’s black Jeep. It would fit in with all of the other cars leaving the premises and nobody would be alarmed. Pepper would be too busy trying to hold the reputation of Tony’s company together to notice her slipping away with her former boss’s daughter.

As the fight had started up, Pepper had tracked Natalie down, insistent that somehow she had caused the disaster of a party in the first place. In truth, that was exactly what she had done. She had destabilised Tony just enough that he would separate himself from anybody who would surely miss him otherwise. Then Shield would track him down and take him into custody. But she had played the innocent bystander whilst Pepper pointed a finger and bellowed at her. That was before the ceiling had caved in and around 600lb of solid steel men had come crashing through. Now, with her cover nearly blown by an infuriatingly suspicious auburn lady, Natasha only had one play left. Seize Jupiter and hope to god she came easily.

Natalie found the keysafe and was grateful to find it unlocked. She singled out the keys to Jupiter’s Jeep and opened the passenger side door. Strapping the girl in, she jogged round to the driver seat and started up the engine. So far so good. She put the vehicle into gear and drove down the covered driveway. She said a silent prayer that the upper driveway was not still too bad and found it moving along smoothly. She joined the rest of the cars leaving the Stark mansion and remained vigilant for any activity concerning the vehicle she had just stolen, right up until she hit the highway. Luck was on her side for most of the journey. Only once did she have to slow down to pass a cop parked up on the side of the highway taking speed readings. After she had breached his line of sight she put her foot down again.

Jupiter did not stir; the sedative Natasha had given her was strong enough to put her in a deep sleep for a good few hours. She would be able to concentrate on getting them both back to the Triskelion in one piece. She popped the earpiece stowed in her bag in the little storage space between the front seats and fixed it into her left ear. Almost immediately, Director Fury’s voice could be heard saying. “Agent Romanov, report.”

“Target destabilised. Tony is all yours. But I also nearly had my cover blown.”

“Let me guess Miss Potts.” There was an amused smirk in his voice.

“Yes. I have Jupiter with me. I’m bringing her in.”

“Excellent.” The Director said, before he clicked off.


	9. Shield

When Jupiter woke, the first thing she noticed was that she couldn’t move. Her arms and legs were strapped down and try as she might through flexing and straining them, they did not budge. As her eyes adjusted, she found the room to be bare of furnishings, except for a tall lamp stand, a chair by the bed, and an IV hook. From the hook, a clear bag containing a startingly blue liquid was trailing its wire over her arm and into the crook of her left elbow. She shuddered. The room itself was a stark white and well lit to the point that it was almost blinding. The only good thing was that she was laid back on a comfortable bed and that Natalie Rushman was with her, standing by her left shoulder and watching her. Or was it Natalie? 

She was dressed in a skin-tight spandex suit with a utility belt that, to Jupiter’s horror held a gun. Fortunately, she neither made a move for the weapon and the familiar smile flitted across her face. “Jupiter. Can you hear me? Try and relax. You are safe.” She soothed in the same purring voice Jupiter had come to recognise. 

“Wh-where am I? What’s happening?” Jupiter said groggily. She tried the restraints again, a little harder. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” A different voice said. The addition of a tall black man in a trench coat and an eyepatch made Jupiter consider that this probably was not a hospital. And this man likely was not a doctor either. And what on earth was Natalie Rushman doing with a gun? “Agent Romanov gets a little twitchy if you play with the restraints.” She realised he was referring to the woman she called Natalie. 

“Agent what? Who are you?” Jupiter was starting to panic. She did not like the look of these two strangers (even if one really did look like Natalie Rushman the Personal Assistant) and she liked being strapped down to a gurney even less. The tall man was towering over now, regarding her blankly. He whispered something to the woman in the tight bodysuit and she nodded and left the room. He then lowered himself into the chair. 

“It is nice to be finally sat down. I’ve been on my feet all day.” He said. He was trying to sound amiable; to take the edge off the shock Jupiter was experiencing. He crossed his legs and put his hands down upon them as if to show her he was not armed. “I am Director Fury. And you are Jupiter Stark.” He said it as if it were a question. 

“Yes.” Jupiter felt like he wanted confirmation. She was not really sure why she was cooperating with this strange man. She had no reason to do so. But something in her was urging her not to make him angry. 

“Good. Agent Romanov brought you in after that disaster your father calls a party.” Director Fury scoffed. 

Her father! Her last memory was of a scuffle and the sounds of two metal heads being clanged together. Were Tony and James alright? What if they’d gotten themselves injured? As if he knew what she was thinking, the tall dark man who called himself Director Fury said. “They’re both fine. Pride’s a little wounded but they’ll live. Your father made off in one direction in his suit and Colonel James Rhodes is holed up with the other at Edwards Air Force Base. We’re trying to get in touch with your father as we speak.” 

“You’re after my father? Why?” Jupiter quizzed. This was all sounding very odd to her. Was Tony in some sort of trouble? 

“This is Shield. We are an organisation sworn to protect both national and global security. When we realised your father was ill we stepped in. We tasked Agent Romanov who you refer to as Natalie Rushman to him. And then to you. In his current state, your father poses a risk.” “What’s wrong with him?” Jupiter was still struggling to understand what was happening, and why this even concerned her. But the Director was about to explain that also. 

“The paladium he uses as a core for his magnet is also creating a toxic byproduct that is undermining his body’s natural defences. If we don’t find him soon and offer him an alternative, he will die.” This Director Fury did not beat around the bush. He was looking at her with the sharp intensity of his one good eye. He was being completely serious. Jupiter blinked and breathed heavily, trying to come to terms with the fact that it had taken a complete stranger to confirm her suspicions about her father’s ill health. 

The former Natalie Rushman now turned agent reappeared in the doorway. She gave Jupiter a guarded smile, although she still had the guns on her person. She folded her arms across her bosom and leant back against the wall by the door. “You are sick too Jupiter. Very sick.” She said softly. “We believe we can help.” 

Jupiter felt a sarcastic expression cross her face. “You did a pretty good job of that so far.” She remembered now. It had all come flooding back as the woman had stepped back into the room. The anger she had felt as Natalie Rushman had ditched her there in the workshop. The spectre of the kiss she had left there was still dwelling in the far reaches of her mind. And now here she was, strapped to a gurney being given assurances from that same woman. She averted her eyes to the floor to hide the tears that began to roll freely. 

“It is not Natasha’s fault, Jupiter. I asked her to get close to you. Your orientation posed as an opportunity too good to overlook.” Director Fury leant forward in his chair stealing her eyes away from the whiteness of the floor into the bottomless pool of his dark eye. 

“Did it not occur to you that it would hurt me!” Jupiter refocussed her rage on him. Her mind was reeling. The kiss had felt so real and so passionate. Yet she was being told that it had been a trick; that it had meant nothing. Her shoulders shook. Why must she be put through this torture? She had really fallen for Natalie Rushman and she had believed her to feel the same. The glances, the smalltalk. Every little gesture had been part of an elaborate ruse she did not possibly want to believe in. “My heart is not a plaything Director. You shouldn’t mess with people like that.” 

“I am sorry that I hurt you.” Natasha said, sounding every bit the remorseful woman she should have been back in the workshop. Inside her head, Agent Romanov was wanting to soothe the girl, to tell her that, actually, she did feel something and that the kiss should never have happened in the first place if she had not willed it. She didn’t even have to kiss Jupiter to win her over. That simple flirting and friendship would have sufficed for the famed Black Widow to accomplish the task. But Director Fury was sat right there and she did not know how such news would fit into his carefully constructed plan. She pursed her lips and returned to watchful silence. 

“Jupiter, tell me about your condition.” Nick Fury encouraged. He wanted to remodel the girl’s current sadness and anger into a positive force. She had not been brought here to cry into the pale white floor of Shield’s secured interview room. She was a potential source for vital information that Shield needed. He wanted to know everything there was to know about it and to see it. He wanted to understand what it was that made Jupiter Stark tick. 

There was a lengthy silence, before the girl looked up. “I got it from the incident.” She said. She had stopped crying but her eyes were discoloured from the tears still and she looked exhausted. 

“You mean at Stark Industries?” Director Fury pressed. Good, she was willing enough to talk. There were so many blanks that needed filling in. And only she could do that. 

Jupiter nodded. “I touched something. A part of the reactor I think. I can’t really remember. It all happened so fast and I was a lot younger then.” She explained slowly. She was wracking her brains trying to remember the memories that she had tried so hard to suppress all these years ago. 

The Director raised his hand. “That’s fine Jupiter. I just want to understand what it is that happens to you, now.” 

“Is that why I’m strapped to this gurney?” Jupiter’s brow raised questioningly. She was gently pulling at her arm restraints pointedly. They had been fastened tightly enough that she could not move her arms more than a few centimetres off the bed, but not so tight that the circulation stopped. Even so, the unnatural stillness that the straps encouraged was uncomfortable. Her shoulders were starting to ache a little although she wasn’t going to mention it to her captors. 

“Yes.” The dark-skinned man said brazenly. “It is.” 

Jupiter closed her mouth and her expression was morose. “You said Shield responds to threats. You think I’m a threat.” It was not a question. She did not need to be told that that was the case. Hell, she barely knew what it was herself! And she had no sense of control. She rattled the wrist straps agitatedly before lowering them again, her attempt futile. 

She heard the man in the chair beside her bed hum confirmation. Agent Romanov shifted uneasily and looked at the ground. She did not like having to exact protocol on a girl she knew was sweet and innocent. Jupiter had never once been unkind to her, or ignored her, or made inappropriate remarks (like her father often had). It also helped that Jupiter was very good looking. She had unblemished pale skin and kind eyes the colour of amber. She always smelt like fresh flowers and she never felt the need to dress herself in order to impress other people. Except that one time for the birthday party but that was understandable. Truthfully, Natasha liked her because she reminded her a lot of herself; she had grown up having to keep secrets whether she wanted to or not, but she had proven good at it, and had adapted her life accordingly. Technically, they were in a similar boat, if it weren’t for the fact that Jupiter Stark may or may not be an enhanced. 

“We need to assess the risk that’s all.” Natasha said. It was important that the safety of Shield’s operative took priority, even if the captive was well-liked. And even with her current feelings, Natasha was not going to go against Shield protocol. 

Jupiter stopped talking. She looked at herself stretched out on the gurney and nodded unhappily. 

“We have reason to believe that you are an enhanced.” Director Fury commandeered the conversation. He had uncrossed his legs and stood up. He paced the room around Jupiter’s bed, hands in pockets, feigning the stance of a perfectly relaxed gentleman. Before the girl could even ask him what an enhanced was he was saying. “That is someone who has undergone a genetic mutation. Sometimes this mutation has additional side effects. You are not the first enhanced we have met and you surely will not be the last.” 

“I’m just a girl.” Jupiter said stubbornly. She had lived a fairly normal life. She had learnt to compute and to write, she painted pictures and sold them, she played music and gardened and put time into her fitness. She had just had an accident as a child that was all. What of it?

“You are not.” The man argued flatly. 

“I am!” Her voice rose an octave in defence. 

“A girl who gives off exceptionally concentrated amounts of quantum energy? A girl who just happens to glow? A girl who requires a famed quantum physicist to play doctor to her?” Director Fury stopped his circular walk and turned to look at her. His tone had grown strong but he was smiling, which Jupiter could not really understand, given the manner of things. Why would a man smile at a supposed threat? For some reason it made her blood start to simmer. “We believe your mutation was kickstarted by the events at Stark Industries; that you had dormant cells just waiting for an opportune moment to surface. Which they have. And boy, aren’t you incredible.” His tone had become one of awe as he crouched to look her square in the eyes. From the way he regarded her it was clear she certainly was not the first enhanced he had come into contact with. That in his own sort of way the whole aspect fascinated him. 

The apparent lack of empathy for her situation suddenly dawned on her like a cold hand crawling its way inside her skull. It took a grip of her head and squeezed hard. Before she could even consider what she was saying she was yelling at him. The sudden change of tone instantly put Agent Romanov on edge. Her hand went to the handle of her gun in its holster but did not fully remove it. Although her expression had hardened and she was ready to draw. “I don’t know what it is. I can’t control it. It hurts. I don’t sleep. It is anything but incredible. It is a nightmare. I would rather have died that day than live with what I have now.”Jupiter blurted out, a concoction of anger and sadness, thoughtfulness and mania crossing her face in less than a second. A wasp-like thrum went through her body as she expelled every ounce of negativity. It had slowly been boiling up in her. The fact that she had been taken from her home and questioned so blatantly was making her crawl uncomfortably. She twisted her wrists against the restraints and gritted her teeth. “Let me go.” She demanded. 

“I’m afraid we can’t do that yet.” Director Fury answered flatly. He shook his head very slowly from side to side and shrugged animatedly. 

Jupiter squinted at him, pulling as hard as she could at the strappings. “Why won’t you let me go? I have not done anything to you!” She did not care that she had let her innocence be swallowed up by the aggression she exuded. She had had enough of the questions and the intrusive commentary that was being designed in the fashion of a polite, albeit falsified conversation. 

“I am going to have to ask you to calm yourself Miss Stark.” Director Fury said authoratively although he had stepped back a little. His eye had widened in disbelief at what he was seeing. Was it just him or was she glowing again, just like she had in that photograph? Was it just fluourescence from the lighting that was making her eyes appear like the sparks on a gas cooker? He gawked at her as she ignored his suggestions and began to thrash against her restraints. He stole a second to look to Agent Romanov, who had moved off the wall and had taken a few paces into the room, closing the distance between herself and the Director. With all the struggling and effort of trying to release herself, Jupiter was currently oblivious to what was happening. “Jupiter. Stop.” Natasha warned. 

“Stop telling me what to do! I do not know you. You lied. You hurt me. Why would you do that! Why would you put me here! I want to go home!” Jupiter had turned from a blue to an oily purple that flickered on and around her like she was electrified. The air in the room had changed too; Natasha could feel the static in it building, making the tiny hairs on her forearms prickle beneath the bodysuit. She put her arm against Director Fury’s. 

“We need to go. Now.” She said hurriedly. 

“Affirmative. Agent Coulson.” Director Fury called. There were strategic hidden cameras and microphones in the room and the agent he was referring to had been listening in. A man with thinning hair bobbed his head into the doorway. 

“Yes Director?” In his dark suit and red tie, Agent Coulson looked more like he was suited to working in an office than handling dangerous individuals. He flashed a concerned look at Jupiter Stark who had only just appeared to notice what was happening to her. Rage was replaced by blind panic. She screamed as she looked at the purple-blue flames licking up and down her body and wrestled her restraints desparately. 

“Activate the precautionary measures. When she’s done, put her in a cell to think on things. We’ll have words later.” Director Fury ordered herding Agent Romanov out ahead of him. As he reached the door, he turned to the flaming girl in the gurney, his mouth a line upon his face. “I’m sorry Jupiter but this is for your own good.” He explained, before he left the room and the mechanised door hissed shut behind him. She may have given him what he had wanted; to see what it was that made her different, but she was too dangerous to talk to right now, too worked up to think rationally and that indicated that he had to leave. 

From the control room on the other side of the door, Director Fury raised his hands to his face and wiped it, sighing. This was going to be a tough nut to crack. Agent Romanov was stood by Agent Coulson watching the screens as the cameras observed the events inside the containment room. Jupiter Stark was beyond logical thinking; this had never happened to her before, not this extent and it was terrifying. Her skin felt like it was peeling away from her fingers and the sharp pain made her cry out. Her back arched off the gurney so severely that it looked like it would break before, with a loud exhalation, her eyes aglow like that of a demon summoned from hell, the purplish flames exploded off her in all directions. Agent Coulson clicked a couple of buttons on a panel and the room Jupiter was in suddenly began filling with a white mist. It quickly enveloped her and there was the sound of her frantic breathing slowing, before she slumped into the gurney once more and lost herself to a deep dreamless sleep. 

“Well, that could’ve gone better.” Director Fury muttered, adjusting the collar of his trench coat. “We’ll give things a second go in the morning.” He told Agent Romanov, before he marched out of the control room and back to his quarters on the forty-ninth floor. 

With Director Fury out of earshot, Agent Romanov placed a hand on Coulson’s shoulder. “Look out for her.” Was all she said before she promptly followed the Director’s exit.


	10. Donuts

“You lost your daughter!” Pepper was shouting down the comms at him so loud that her voice reverberated inside the mask and made his head hurt. She was frantic and, from the sound of her, a few moments away from a breakdown. He had not really wanted to call her right now; he knew she was upset, but Jupiter was missing. Or was she? Had he just imagined the whole thing? Perhaps if he phoned her he would find her holed up somewhere obvious and safe asking him what was wrong? He had tried that but she had not picked up and then the unwelcome sense of insecurity kicked in. Where was his daughter?

He was considerably worse for wear already without the addition of an angry Pepper making his headache worse. He readjusted the volume setting to the comms unit inside his suit and fumbled through the mushy alcohol-soaked brains inside his skull for what to say.

“I uh…misplaced her is all. It could’ve happened to anyone. Besides it was my birthday. A guy is allowed to enjoy his birthday isn’t he?” The woman on the other end of the phone had not wanted to answer his call but a number of attempts had made her give in. She was far from happy talking to him. Tony had made a total mockery of her and turned his mansion into a demolition site. And if he had just listened to her, none of it would have happened in the first place. What he had chosen to say was evidently the wrong thing; she scoffed something ineligible on the other end of the phone.

“Unbelievable.” Was the only word he could make out.

She had attended his party after a long day at the office. She may have been tired, but it was only fair, she considered, to at least show her face for an hour or so at her former boss’s birthday. She could never have expected the catastrophe that awaited her, involving a drunk Tony Stark dressed in his Iron Man suit and waving his phasers around like they were strobe lights, a very angry Colonel James Rhodes, who had taken understandable insult to his friend’s disregard for his sticking his neck out for him against the National Guard a few days before, and one very laid back and worringly unconcerned Personal Assistant. What a party that had turned out to be. Half the mansion had been blown to bits by the two fiery suits filled with testosterone and alcohol-infused mania, and it was a wonder that nobody had been hurt.

“Do you have any idea where she might be?”

“No Tony, I do not. She was at your party and that’s the last time I saw her. I’m calling the Police.” There was the sound of tapping; Pepper was sat in her office at Stark Industries and was typing in the number for the local police department. If she nor Tony had seen neither head nor hair of Jupiter since the party then she was missing, and that was very worrying. She heard Tony burp and pulled a disgusted face.

“Please don’t call the Police.” He spluttered on the other end of the line.

“She. Is. Missing. Do you have any idea how serious this is?” Pepper said to him, simultaneously answering the emergency services operator, asking to be put through to the Police. He wished he was there to slam the phone down, and if needs be, sit on it to prevent her calling them again. The Police were the last people he wanted involved; Police were often lazy unless given reasonable financial incentive to look for someone. He trusted them about as far as he could throw them.

“Sh-” Tony hung up and sat in his suit on the top of Randys Donuts and thought as hard as he possibly could. So, he was dying from paladium poisoning, his former assistant was not on speaking terms and was awaiting a deluge of calls to Stark Industries, his new assistant was nowhere to be seen and neither was his daughter. Jupiter was not one to just wander off and not come back; she knew better. But he had not seen nor heard anything from her since the evening of his party. He chewed on his lip, flicking the mask of his suit open to let in the mid-day sun.

He had purchased a box of donuts from the store he was using as a vantage point, and opening the lid on the sickly purple and blue box, he found an array of equally unhealthy coloured confectionary. He dove on it like a starved beast spraying sugar in all directions. He was not normally one to go for the sweet things when it came to foodstuffs but he was both hungover, and could not care less about his health. He couldn’t have that long left anyway. The rash that had occupied the skin around the magnet in his chest had taken a trip North and was traversing the side of his neck like a tetris puzzle. The progress it had made was making him feel weak and confused, so that, when a voice apparently called to him, he double took; unsure whether the guy below was real. 

“Sir!” A voice called. Tony pulled a finger out from between his lips and looked down at the ground below, squinting against the sun. To his surprise, a man looked back with the fullness of his one remaining eye. His accent was not from round here. Tony recognised it as an Alabama drawl. He raised an eyebrow. “I need you to exit the donut.” The man simply said as he walked out of view into the interior of Randys Donuts beneath Tony’s metallic arse.

“Director Fury.” Tony huffed. The last person he wanted to deal with now. That man had been on his tail like a lurcher on a jackrabbit. Wanting him to cooperate with an initiative that basically meant having his life restricted to rules. Nevertheless, he exited the large plastic donut on the roof and clanged his way in to the seating area below. Director Fury was waiting for him with two large steaming coffees, and wearing a purposeful smirk. 

"You have been one royal pain in my ass for months." Was his way of greeting the hungover Stark. He let him sit down opposite him and slid a coffee across. 

"And you don't know when to stop trying to get me to join your super-secret boy band." Tony stated. 

Director Fury sneered. "It's got nothing to do with that. Your erratic behaviour is no good for my organisation. You made your girl CEO of Stark Industries, you turned Monaco into a demolition site, you friend has got one of your suits, and to top it all off, Jupiter is missing." 

"Should I even bother asking how you know that?" Stark said rubbing his sore head. 

Before Director Fury could respond, another voice cut in. "We've secured the perimeter but I don't think we should hold it for long." Natalie Rushman slunk towards the table in a skin-tight body suit that left little to the imagination. She sat down beside Nick whilst Tony opened and closed his mouth like a bewildered goldfish. 

"You're...fired." Tony managed.   
  
There was a smug smile on her face. "That's not up to you." 

"I'd like you to meet Agent Romanoff." Director Fury said, putting an arm around the woman's shoulder. 

"I'm a Shield shadow. Once we knew you were sick and your daughter was an enhanced, Director Fury tasked me to you." 

"Pfft. My daughter's not an enhanced, she's just unwell." Tony said flippantly, deliberately ignoring the part that involved him. He didn't need some jumped up fox in vacuum packaging to tell him he was sick. He cradled his sore head and propped his elbow on the tabletop, regarding the two Shield agents with thinning patience. 

"According to the results we've developed from observations, she is." Nick replied fervently. Then to Natasha Romanoff, he said. "Give him a hit." 

Before Tony could even piece together his foggy brain and make sense of what had just been said, Agent Romanoff was driving a needle into the side of his neck and pressing down the button. He gave a belated wince and considered if, whether they were looking to steal a kidney and sell it, would anybody actually buy it? But then, very suddenly, he began to feel better. The dull itch from the rash subsided and for the first time in a while, Tony felt more himself. He blinked at the agent crouched next to him. She put a hand on his chin and pulled his head this way and that, observing the serum fighting back against the toxin. Eventually, she let go and looked assured. "It's worked." 

"Wh-what was that?" Tony asked, rubbing at the small red mark on his neck where he had been unceremoniously jabbed. "What did you just do to me?" 

"You mean what did we just do  _for_ you." Nick corrected. "We gave you a serum that'll take the edge off." 

"Gimme a few more shots of that and I'll be right as rain." Tony insisted. 

Agent Romanoff shook her head. "It's designed to fight the symptoms. It is not a cure." She took her place beside Director Fury again and the two of them watched him for a moment, like a pair of wisened owls who did not wish to move from their perch, and would not be intimidated either, by a bearded man in a tin suit. 

It spontaneously occurred to Tony to ask Nick about his daughter. They seemed perfectly aware that she was missing and that had gotten his suspicions up. "Do you know where Jupiter is?" 

Director Fury smirked. "We do. She is with us." 

"With us? What do you mean _'with us'_? Tony remarked sarcastically. Nick was like a tall, dark golem playing riddles through his mind and making his cogs work too hard through the uncomfortable swamp of a hangover. 

"I took her into our custody following the party." Agent Romanoff said without even the slightest hint of remorse. Under any other circumstance, that would be considered kidnapping, but Shield were well protected. Plus, they had their reasons, even if Tony didn't quite believe them just yet. He gave her his most damning look and sucked on his lip. He wanted to punch one of them so bad right now; but both of them were likely well armed (Natasha certainly was; he'd spotted two pistols on her belt), and even if Nick wasn't, that man was built like a gorilla and could flatten a Bentley until it looked like a lawn chair. He blinked, shook his head in disbelief and gulped down the coffee.

"She is not well, Tony. You've been too distracted to realise it. Which is why we are going to shadow you until you get back on your feet. Then, and only then, will you be permitted to visit with us and see for yourself." Nick gave Tony a good long stare, that made the man shift uncomfortably. He had to be honest, but being looked at by a man with only one eye, whilst suffering as much as he was, was a little disconcerting. It was clear from the way Nick was eyeing him up that he thought Tony would come up with some witty, bordering on inappropriate comment in response. But instead, he simply nodded, groaned and faceplanted the table, sending his cup shivering dangerously next to him. 

"Then we're on the same page. Good. Agent Romanoff, assemble the perimeter guards. We move out in five. Tony, if you'd like to come with me, we can escort you back to your premises, and get this show on the road." Nick said, standing up and adjusting his coat with the sound like an old leather sofa being shifted across a greasy floor. 

Soon enough, Tony was sat in the back seat of an unmarked four-wheel drive with Agent Romanoff perched beside him like a deadly kissogram. Director Fury sat in the front passenger seat, while a man with an egg-shaped bald patch on the very top of his cranium drove the car. Unlike Happy, this man didn't greet him and did not respond to meddling antics regarding the childlocks on the windows. He merely wrinkled his nose as Tony got in and made a comment about him smelling like a pig farm. 

Then there was Natasha Romanoff a.k.a Natalie Rushman, the-girl-who-tricked-Tony-and-made-him-feel-stupid-for-not-noticing. 

She didn't ever look at him, not even once, and Tony found himself considering that, if he reached for the Gloch in the holster at her hip, would he get there before she noticed? He wasn't really going to do something so reckless, but the thought crossed his mind. As he looked down at the pistol, to his surprise, her hand moved over it. How did she know? His jaw dropped and the side of her cheek plumped in a victorious smile. It was apparently too much for the alcohol-poisoned passenger to realise that the tinted windows offered perfect reflection of behind, and that, whilst seemingly looking out at the view beyond, Natasha was in fact regarding her company keenly. "Don't even think about it." She warned. 

It took a while before the car stopped on the forecourt of a familiar place (and perhaps the only place Tony really,  _really_ didn't want to be right now). Natasha slid out and had the good grace to walk round and open the door for Tony, letting him flop out like a gelatinous puddle onto the floor, with an echo like an old cowbell hitting the tarmac. "Jeez, I feel weird." Was the only thing he could say. 

"You'll feel a lot less weird once you get your head back in the game Stark." Nick said, closing the front passenger door and looking down his nose at the red and gold heap at his feet. "Now, let's get a move on. I may have freed up a considerable amount of time for you, but I still have better things to be doing. And my two o'clock waits for nobody." In truth, his two o'clock would wait; he was the Director of course. But he wanted the Stark mess to realise that not everybody was going to fawn over him for the sake of doing so. 

Tony was more than relieved to get out of his suit, and wash the day-old urine off of him. He'd obviously thought proving that the suit had a filtration system was rational behaviour at a party, but, had he realised the extent he would need to relieve himself throughout the night, may have considered _not_ wearing the suit in the first place. The shower was also a welcome wake-up call for his head to start thinking more clearly, and by the time he joined Director Fury, Agent Romanoff and the driver, he was more normal than he'd been in weeks. 

"You scrub up good Mr Stark." Director Fury commented from a seat beside a smashed window. The balcony beyond was littered with pieces of glass and rubble from the fight-come-architectural redesign Tony and Rhodey had participated in. 

"Here's your seat Mr Stark." Agent Romanoff gestured to a chair adjacent to the Director, shadowing his movements into it as if she were his nanny; concerned that he might just trick her, and make a dash for freedom over the one hundred foot drop into the ocean from the balcony. He had to work hard not to roll his eyes. 

"Now. Tell me about your father." Director Fury said out of the blue. There was a devilish glint in his eye. 

Tony bunched his jaw. Uncomfortable memories flooded into his mind as if the Director's words had caused an eruption, and all the thoughts and feelings he had about his father were a pyroclastic flow, tearing down into his mouth for him to spew it all out. "I-I don't really want to." He answered honestly. 

"Why not?" 

"Because he was cold and calculating. He never said he loved me, he never said he even  _liked_ me." Tony stumbled over his words. He hunched his shoulders and slid his back down into the chair like a sulky kid. "His happiest day was when he shipped me off to boarding school." 

Director Fury raised his eyebrow and shook his head. "That's not true. Your father loved you." 

Tony shrugged and looked elsewhere. The conversation had taken an uncomfortable turn, even moreso than the events of earlier at Randy's Donuts. 

Nick tutted. "You think you knew your father Tony, but in truth." He shrugged. "All I can say is, he cared for you. And he also was one of the founding members of Shield." 

Tony's eyes snapped to Nick's face. "What?" 

But Nick was not going to stick around any longer. He was eager to get to his two o'clock and as far away from Stark as possible. Besides, he also needed to get back and continue his work with Jupiter. She had been with them for just under forty-eight hours and she was on the precipice of deciding whether or not to cooperate. It was a crucial time and to waste it on her father, who was more than capable (if he wanted to be) was, in his mind just silly. He stood up, ignoring Tony's continued queries. By the look on the man's face, he had clearly never heard of this before. 

"I've gotta go. You've got this, right? You've got this. Agent Coulson is going to stay and take care of things. As for Agent Romanoff, she will return to work at Stark Industries with her cover intact." Fury remarked with a pointed stare in Tony's direction, before he gestured to a chest that was being placed down beside them by two of agents in matching black suits that Tony had never even seen before. It was as if they'd been hiding in the bushes for the opportune moment to dump this 'whatever it was' at his feet. And whatever it was was large and black with the Shield logo on the front and silver buckles. 

"Got what? Fury what is going on!" Tony demanded, standing up. But Nick waved his hand and disappeared into the shadows of the building without a word. 

Agent Romanoff, who for the timebeing had simply stood on guard gave Tony a cautious look. "I've disabled all communications, no contact with the outside world. Good luck." Her tone was almost patronising and for the first time in his life, Tony Stark had the overwhelming urge to finally do what he thought he'd never do, and punch a woman. The pretty agent turned on her heel and left without even a backward glance. Eventually, it was just him and Agent Coulson who remained. 

Tony gave the man a pleading look. He rubbed his hands together, adjusting the silken trails of his dressing gown and moving towards his minder carefully. "Look, I could really do with a little work in at the spa. Then, whatever  _this_ is." He gestured to the chest. "I'll be on it. I'll put the hours in, I'll-" 

Agent Coulson wore a mocking smile. "I'm not here to be your friend. Director Fury has cleared me to use  _any_ means necessary to keep you here. If you so much as try to leave, or vex me, I'll taze you and watch Super Nanny whilst you drool into the carpet. Got it?" His blue eyes sparkled dangerously. He may have been a slighter man than Tony, but Stark had the uncomfortable feeling that he would still be able to put him on his backside. 

Begrudgingly, Tony nodded. This seemed to please Agent Coulson, for he sat down in a chair by the destroyed balcony. "Then enjoy your evening." 


	11. Sorry

Jupiter paced the walls of her small white room. Even though the guards on duty had made sure to give her books to read, and ensured she had plenty of food and water, she was restless. There was nothing more frustrating than being given only an inch of the freedom she was used to. And, on top of it all, she was still trying to comes to terms with the fact that their Personal Assistant had sold her out to an undercover agency like some bargaining chip against her father. How was she meant to react to such news? That Natalie Rushman was simply a front for a darker, more mysterious visage that lay beneath? She could not deny that Natalie Rushman - Natasha Romanoff, was still attractive, and that just maybe, the sight of the woman in skin-tight spandex with her perfectly manicured fingers halting on the trigger of a Gloch, did something for her. 

Still, -Jupiter shook her head-, Natasha had abused her trust and made her feel like a fool. She had kidnapped her and taken her from her home and the people that mattered. Wounds of that sort did not heal quickly. And to make matters even worse, she had been locked in a room with a power she had not fully anticipated, with an energy that made her frightened. And nobody would even acknowledge it...yet.

With the lack of windows, Jupiter could not tell how long she had been there, or indeed, what time it was. But, as there came a knock on the door, and Nick Fury entered, a single shaft of sunlight crept into the room through the doorway. There was just the hint of blue sky before the door hissed shut and she was alone with the Director. He smelt of coffee and there was a subtle odour of sweat that clung to him beneath the sandal wood tones of his cologne. He put his hands in his pockets and leant against the wall nearest the door. He was trying to appear relaxed in front of her, although his face was guarded and cautious.

"How're you?" He asked.

Jupiter paced the far wall and shrugged, a slight scoff escaping her lips. "As well as one can be expected to fair cooped up in a room against their will." She replied, sarcastically. She turned away from him, catching herself wondering where his pretty sidekick was. Was she hiding behind the fisheye lens of the camera in the top right corner of her room, observing her suspiciously whilst flicking a bullet between her digits?  The strange indecisiveness she felt made her heart beat a little stronger; whilst she couldn't deny she was angry at the woman, there was still that evident edge of wanting. And that only seemed to make her feel angrier at the moment. 

"I know. I'm sorry." The man said with a sigh. "But until we know what exactly is going on, we have to keep you here." 

Jupiter rolled her eyes and folded her arms defensively. "I never asked for any of this. You keep me locked up like some animal, whilst my father and Pepper are likely driving one another to despair trying to find me-" She began, but Director Fury cut in.

"-Your father is on our watchlist, and he knows that we know where you are, and that you're safe. As for Pepper, we're diverting her calls. She's not raising any alarms unless we want her to. As for good ol' Tony Stark, we've come to an...agreement, which, if he upholds his end of the bargain, you'll be reunited and live happily ever after." Jupiter could not mistake the subtle sarcasm in his voice as he played with the notion that Tony Stark could show any ounce of love to his daughter. He was not necessarily cold to her, but he almost came across indifferent. 

Jupiter tried to keep a lid on her shock.  _Her dad knew?_ He knew about her, that Shield had her, and yet was not coming?! All of a sudden, she hated him. She hated his cocky confidence and egoism; the way he'd flash the ladies a winning smile and almost instantaneously, she did not matter. He would be rolling in women, and sex and gambling whilst she silently craved his attention. There had been plenty of opportunities for him to say nice things to her, to spend a little time with her, but he never had. She'd filled all of that with her motorbikes and surfing and reading. She'd bent over backwards to accommodate him - attending his parties full of one night stands and jealousy. But now that she was unable to do so much as pace the walls and eat and drink, and maybe, if the guard on duty were open to it, have a brief chat, she realised how  _empty_ she felt. 

"Where is she?" Jupiter surprised even herself with her question. She'd been thinking about her father, but her mouth had portrayed a deeper desire that she had been suppressing. At least it deviated from the pain that was bruising her chest like an apple rocked from its branch to the ground. 

She heard Nick Fury huff in amusement. "And if  _she_ translates as Agent Romanoff, then she is waiting outside." 

"Is she always with you?" Suspicion tainted the softness in her voice. 

Nick laughed and gave Jupiter a knowing look. He already understood where her mind was going. He held up his hands submissively, as if she were holding an accusing barrel at his face. "We're just work colleagues. Agent Romanoff is...very much into the ladies." 

_Why does this matter so much to you? She took you against your will and 'played' with your feelings. Essentially, she's not a friend..._

Jupiter ceased with the questions. She put her back against the wall she was closest to and slid down it until she was sat on the ground, her knees pulled close against her chest for comfort. There was a long pause whilst Fury silently observed her, and, if she concentrated, Jupiter was sure she could hear the muffled voices of Natasha and the guard outside the door. Finally, Nick crouched and folded his hands together. He looked at her, but the usual murph was replaced with concern. 

"Has it ever happened to you before?" He pressed carefully. 

Jupiter knew what he was referring to. She thought about it quietly, and finally, shrugged and shook her head. "N-no...I don't think so." If Fury was truly aware and working with her father, then she too needed to cooperate. She had a feeling that, whilst she was, with all intents and purposes, a bargaining tool, she had responsibilities to uphold of her own. Most of them, she realised, involved answering some very tricky, often uncomfortable questions. 

Fury nodded slowly. "You're a rarity. Not the first to rock up on our radar I'll admit, but you're  _different_." 

"There've been others?" Jupiter asked, intrigued. And all this time, she'd thought she was alone!

The hulking dark-skinned man nodded. "Sure. You're a minority but I've met some people in my past with crazy skills like you." He conversed with a surety and familiarity that made her flinch. It didn't matter if, outside of his job (if he actually  _had_ a life outside of it), he was a nice, jovial person, a socialite. He could have been an avid train collector or a plane watcher. But to Jupiter, none of these possibilities mattered. Here, in this moment, he was nothing more than her keeper and interrogator. She maintained a subtle tension to her shoulders. 

"The accident...it was the accident wasn't it?" She asked tentatively. 

Nick shrugged: it seemed to be his default response bobbing his shoulders like that. "We're not entirely sure. We think the accident may have just been a trigger for it, but that you've had this-" he gestured to her "-for a lot longer." 

Jupiter laughed, but it was a bitter, uncertain sound. "You think I've had this since birth." She wasn't asking. But even so, he nodded. 

She sighed, banging her head back against the wall in frustration and covering her face with her hands. Why was this happening to her? Why had her father never mentioned anything, and let Pepper fawn over her like she were a sick puppy? Had her whole life just been one monumental construction to give her as close to a normal life as possible? Her head was throbbing with questions and sore from thinking. She took a long, deep breath and focussed on keeping calm. She'd recently discovered that  _it_ could get out of control pretty fast if she got worked up enough, and she really didn't want to go through that again. Particularly as she was surrounded by men and women who had all received military training and were sure marksmen. 

"We'd like to run some tests if you don't mind." Fury suggested slowly. 

"Why can't you ask Dr Pym for his results? He ran plenty on me." Jupiter said. 'Tests' usually meant lots of discomfort, and if she could avoid it, she would. She had spent most of her childhood having Pepper drag her to see Dr Pym for 'this test' and 'that test', always questioning whether she would get better, and never really knowing if she'd move forward. 

Fury laughed, which Jupiter considered didn't fit with the question at all and ultimately baffled her. She frowned at him. "Because his tests...were...not what we want to do...and...we think it might help." He was stumbling for a story, and something about the way he said it told Jupiter he was not telling her the truth. 

Outside the sealed door, Agent Romanoff watched the discussion between the Director and Jupiter with baited breath. Even though Jupiter had shown herself to be a lot calmer and more in control than a day or so before, she was inherently aware that the danger still existed. She observed the goings on via the screen connected to the high definition camera on the inside of the room. On the table beside her right hand, the specially designed handcuffs gaped up at her, patiently waiting for their next occupant. At one point, she saw Jupiter look up directly into the camera and found herself wondering if she knew that she was there. Those beautiful golden eyes analysed the convex lens with silent knowing that made Natasha's heart pull and frustrated her. Because nobody had made her feel these things. Ever. 

She had been born and raised in Russia - a cold, unloving country that prided itself on military genius and espionage. Her father had practically sold her to the agency that had turned her into a cruel weapon. And for many years of her life, she had feigned closeness only to get information, to worm her way into all the secrets and darkness that often lay beneath. And there she would stay, gaining her targets' trust until the kill command came in. And without so much as a moment's hesitation she'd put a bullet in between their eyes and watch the red soak into the carpet. _So much red._ She blinked the memories back and breathed. So what was different about Jupiter Stark? She would have to consider what had changed another time, when she was not stood beside an agent who might tell Fury that she was suffering an inconformity, and could no longer work on this project. 

She gritted her teeth and pulled her ruse of calculating and inconspicuous air around her like a cloak. She folded her arms and watched, listening in on their conversation. When Jupiter suddenly asked after her, she heard the other female agent (whose' name Natasha didn't even know and likely would never ask for) scoff. "Made quite the impression there Romanoff. Bet she'll just let you cuff her down, maybe even kiss her." She said humourlessly. Was that envy in the woman's voice or was she just imagining it? She hummed simply in response and kept her eyes glued to the screen. 

 _We want to help you. Don't you understand that?_ She was willing her words through the lens to the beautiful young girl, who dropped to seated against the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees. All of a sudden, Jupiter Stark was small and frightened, and something in Natasha wanted to wrap her arms around her and hold her close, to tell her it would all be alright.

Fury had gotten to the part where he were to mention the tests they wished to run in their advanced labs on sub level 7. She noted that she was holding her breath again. This had been the whole reason for visiting today. They'd left Jupiter's father perplexed over the appearance of a mysterious black chest, and returned to base to handle the delicate situation of winning Jupiter over. It was common practise in dealing with 'guests' to give them at least two days to cool off and consider cooperating. Usually it worked, and, Natasha had to admit, she was relieved to see Jupiter eventually nod. Then Director Fury was looking up at the camera and giving a thumbs up. She nodded to the agent beside her to unlock the door and, after a moment, it hissed open.

When Agent Romanoff emerged into the room, Jupiter slowly stood, eyeing her suspiciously. There was the slight ripple of mistrust that passed across her face and hardened even further when she noticed the handcuffs in Natasha's hand. Her eyes flicked questioningly between Fury and Natasha, and then to the handcuffs. They were chunkier than normal handcuffs and made out of a dark, dull metal with a flashing blue light on the side of them. 

"These are for all our safety.  _Including yours_." Fury explained. "They have been designed to block energy fields in our most special cases." 

 _Special cases. He means people with dangerous, uncontrollable abilities like yours Jupiter._ She thought dryly, considering once more, the feeling of being like some caged animal. She had never hurt anybody besides herself, and yet, she was distinctly aware that they were all expecting her to lose it and, what? Kill someone? 

"We'll remove them once we reach the ward." Natasha assured, giving Jupiter what she hoped would be taken as a truthful, honest look. Although, she was aware that it would likely be quite a while before Jupiter ever trusted her again. She was normally okay with that feeling, but with this hauntingly lovely girl, she was surprised to feel aggravated by the knowledge of it. She fought hard to maintain her professional composure.

The pause was short and tense, before Jupiter put her arms out. "Fine." She agreed. 

Agent Romanoff approached Jupiter as cautiously as a cat ready to leap away from a possible threat. Fury had moved to standing and was still maintaining his casual state although they all knew he was poised to defend her if the young woman so much as made a wrong move. But she didn't. Jupiter stood stock still, arms outstretched to receive the shackles as Natasha reached her and placed the cuffs around her wrists. The mechanisms clicked shut and the girl dropped her arms down in front of her.

"I'm sorry." Natasha heard herself whisper, just loud enough so that the girl beside her could hear. 

Jupiter blinked at her, whether from shock or disbelief. "You're doing your job." Her answer was just as quiet, meant for only her ears. The way she said it suggested she didn't quite believe the apology. And then she was looking away and towards Director Fury. "Now that I'm  _safely_ restrained Director, let's get this over with." She remarked bitterly, and walked towards the door, trailing the tall shadow of Nick out of the room. 

Natasha paused with her back to the camera, not wanting the agent (who might be one of those cases trained in lip reading) and mouthed into the open air. "I really am." Before she turned and followed the small convoy out and along the corridor. As she trailed behind Jupiter, she quietly watched her as she turned her face into the sunlight streaming through the window, and for the first time in days, a genuine smile passed across her lips. 


	12. Coconut

"Hmm, not quite." The spirit level ducked and slid to and fro, never quite halting on the centre line. 

Tony's brow knitted together and he grit his teeth in frustration. All about him, the once pristene workshop, with its cars and motorbikes all carefully placed, had been moved aside for an ugly structure of mesh wire, metal piping and glass. Holes had been made into the concrete walls and the ceiling just by the shear willpower and strength of Tony Stark armed with a sledgehammer and, when the occassion called for it, a pneumatic drill. Behind him, on the wall, a clock ticked by steadily, and the sound made him tense. He was aware time was running out for him, he just had to get this done. 

The sound of the glass door at the base of the stairs leading up to the main level hissed open, and a quietly brooding Agent Coulson stepped into the organised chaos of Tony Stark's latest invention. Most people would have stopped and taken in the unusual sight, or said something admiring on the matter. But not Agent Coulson: he cut straight to the point. "I heard you broke the perimeter." He said wryly, stepping over nuts and bolts and chunks of concrete. 

Tony scoffed, still willing the spirit level to rest on the line, as he placed it on top of the curved pipe that made up the particle accelerator he'd been building for the last day or so. "Yeah, that was like three weeks ago, where've you been?" He answered, sarcastically, though keeping a wary eye on Agent Coulson's hand and its proximity to his pockets.  _Did he actually carry a taser or had he been bluffing all this time?_

A few days prior, after cooperating to Fury's peculiar terms to stay within the confines of the ruined mansion, Tony had eventually given in to his curiosities as to what could possibly be inside the conspicuous chest in his living room. He had toyed with the idea of alien weaponry, a kill switch, ammunition, only to be disappointed to find it full to the brim with paperwork. (But then how was he to expect a man as suspicious as Nick Fury to hand him a dangerous weapon?) Paperwork that had belonged to his father, Howard Stark. Most of it was old blueprints of the Arc Reactor, flying cars and early robotics. Then, beneath the mounds of yellowed paper, the rattling cylinders containing old projector film. He had run through the reams of edits and recordings of his father, hair slicked and combed back from his lined forehead, attempting to construct the words for his introduction to the 'City of the Future' - a dream Howard had made a reality shortly before his and his wife's death. Leaning back in his chair, Tony had only paid half the attention to them, until, at the end of the last cylinder he'd opened, a message had sprung out from the grainy projection and called to him. 

Resting against the 3D diorama of his masterpiece which stood in the head office at Stark Industries (or had depending on whether Pepper had had it removed), a whiskey over ice in one hand, and beads of perspiration on his brow, Howard Stark passed across the void of lost time. "Tony, you are too young to understand this right now, so I thought I would put it on film for you. I built this for you, and some day you'll realize that it represents a whole lot more than just people's inventions. It represents my life's work. This is the key to the future. I'm limited by the technology of my time, but one day you'll figure this out. And when you do, you will change the world. What is, and always will be, my greatest creation... is you." Images of the City of the Future flicked across the screen, depicting the fantastical stainless alloy globe that now stood at the centre of the real thing. And then, quiet. 

_So, the old fool Fury had been telling the truth!_

The film ended and the tail of the reel flicked round and around before Tony eventually switched it off. He blinked for a long time, trying to understand everything that had happened, both past and present. For his whole childhood, Tony had never understood his father. He'd always been far too busy with his inventions. Much the same way, he figured ashamedly, he'd been towards his own daughter Jupiter. That had been the moment where Tony had decided to turn things around. With Coulson busy elsewhere and comfortable in the false knowledge Tony would obey rules, he'd slipped out and driven the short journey to Stark Industries. He realised as he tore along the coastal road that he hadn't met with Pepper for a long time: she'd either be really pleased to see him looking better than he had in ages...or...she'd be annoyed and unrelenting in her decision to avoid him. And to her knowledge, Jupiter was still 'missing' though technically, from what Fury had confided 'safe and well within Shield', but he wasn't allowed to disclose that to Pepper, or what agents within Shield would likely refer to as a 'civilian'. He would have to win her over: use some of that devilish charm that he'd pickled himself in since he was a randy schoolboy, give her a flash of those pearly whites and flatter her. That always seemed to work with women, right?

He'd made a slapdash decision to pull into a layby where a Spaniard was selling ripe strawberries off a cart and purchased a punnet using the value of one Rolex. The man had looked at him like he was crazy (which he most certainly was), then in disbelief (why would anyone buy strawberries with a million dollar watch?). Eventually, Tony had forced it on him and thankfully, the man had yielded, placing the 'world's most expensive strawberry punnet' down on the seat beside Tony, and screwing his eyes shut as the Audi roared off the layby onto the road in a cloud of dust. 

At Stark Industries, Tony would have been right to assume a cold reception, but he hadn't been prepared for the arctic stare Pepper gave him as he barged into her office tailed by an unhappy receptionist who had pointedly told him to wait outside. Pepper was behind the desk that had been meant for Tony, though he considered she looked like she belonged there. She was in a light grey fitted dress and her hair was back in a high pony tail that accentuated her cheeks, and intensified the angry pursing of her lips as she realised who had just interrupted her. Her blue eyes narrowed at him. She was on the phone discussing the schedule for the next week at The Stark Expo, and the person on the other end of the phone must've asked her if Tony himself would be there. She tensed, silently scoffed, repeated their question to herself, looked at Tony, who stared back hopefully and replied. "No he will not."

As part of his 'sickness crisis', Tony had launched a year long expo (although Pepper had called it 'The Stark Ego' out of blatant dislike towards the idea). It was being hosted at his father's 'City of the Future' and was showcasing the best and brightest minds and inventions from around the world to safeguard the world for future generations. His opening night had (of course) been a lavish affair which had involved him jumping out of the back of a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III at 40,000 feet, fully suited and landing through a hole in the roof of the expo on a stage full of cheerleaders. Okay, so Pepper  _had_ been right about his requirement to be 'involved' in some way, but the bigger picture wasn't about him, even though, right now, she certainly seemed to think it was. She finally put the phone down and turned her full attention on him. 

"What are you doing here?" She asked in an icy tone that could've made frost start growing on his face. "Go away." 

"I just need like thirty seconds." He asked, to which Pepper looked at her watch and promptly started counting. 

Tony shrugged and padded across the room to the desk. "Well, I thought that since I haven't seen you...and since the issues I've been having...or created...in fact I don't really know..." He had reached the desk now, which had taken him longer than he expected. Why had his father opted for an office the size of a small airport? He slid into the vacant chair and placed his peace gift in front of his former PA. 

"If you say 'I' one more time I'm going to hurt you." Pepper wasn't joking. Indeed, she looked just about ready to gouge his face off with her nails. 

Tony nodded and mouthed a silent understanding. That was when Pepper noticed his gift, and it didn't exactly have the desired effect. "Did you bring me strawberries? Did you know that the one thing I'm allergic to-"

"-is strawberries." Tony finished. "I was just testing. You see, this is progress. Which is why I-"

"- I need you to leave." Pepper said flatly, talking over him. 

Tony faltered and blinked at her. He had experienced Pepper being mad at him, but never before had she been so pointedly emotionless towards him. The look she gave him suggested she didn't care whether he crawled into a ditch somewhere, and she flicked her eyes towards the door, implying where she wanted him to go. At which point, the door opened and none other than Happy and Natasha Romanoff stood there.

"Car's waiting outside boss." Happy called. 

"Thanks." Both Pepper and Tony said. Pepper shot him a glare, as if to remind him who was the boss now. He withered. 

"Wheels are up in thirty." Natasha Romanoff (or was it Natalie Rushman now? He was struggling to keep up) said, breezing into the room in a black dress and heels. Even though she looked positively ravishing, now he was aware of who or rather  _what_ she was, he didn't fall for it quite so much. She shot him a wary look as she passed him, placing a file down in front of Miss Potts. 

Tony stammered in disbelief. "Huh, so I lost the house and both the kids in the divorce." His joke was very dry and left a bitter taste in his mouth. Happy looked at him and shook his head, before turning his attention to Pepper and to Natalie Rushman.

"I thought you didn't get on." Tony recalled. Pepper had never been a great fan of Natalie Rushman, particularly at the disastrous party. 

Pepper shook her head, not even looking up from the file. "No, that's not so." She replied. 

"Are you fitting in well here...Natalie? It is Natalie isn't it?" Tony toyed with the redheaded woman, silently enjoying the hot stare she gave him. The jab passed well over Pepper's head, which Natasha silently thanked fate for. She gathered up the file and stepped aside as Pepper left her desk and gathered her bags for her scheduled flight. 

"I've asked Mr Stark to leave. If you don't mind Natalie, perhaps whilst he is here, you could run through the things I've left for him?" 

"Of course." Natalie agreed solemnly, as the other woman left the office with Happy in tow. As soon as the door was shut, Natalie launched her attack.

"I'm surprised you could even keep your mouth shut." She said coldly. 

Tony leant forward, instinctively lowering his volume just in case anybody might be listening on the other side of the door. "God you're good. You are mind blowingly duplicitous. How do you do it? You're a triple impostor, I've never seen anything like it. Is there anything real about you? Do you even speak Latin?" He jibed. 

Natalie gave him one long look of her cat-like eyes and without hesitation replied. "Fallaces sunt rerum species."

Tony held his hands up in misunderstanding. He may have been learned in most languages, but a long dead one was not one of them. "Which means? Wait, what did you just say?" He called as she strode past him to the door. 

"It means you can either drive yourself home or I can have you collected." She said hurriedly as she flicked her long hair over her back and exited the room. 

Alone in the office - the office that should have been his, Tony silently debated how it had ever gotten  _this_ bad. Deep down, he knew he only had himself to blame. Him and all his selfishness over the past few months. Him and his 'ways' as Pepper had once called them, long before the hottest triple impostor on American soil took over. He listened to the fading footsteps of Natalie Rushman down the hallway and popped a strawberry into his mouth. Looking about the office, his eyes suddenly rested upon the 3D diorama: the item he'd come all this way for (and maybe to attempt to apologise to Pepper, as long as his ego didn't get in the way). It was half covered by a dustcloth, so that only the top corner of it peeked out at him, beckoning him to cast its covers off. And he did. 

And what he saw then changed everything. Nobody even batted an eyelid or said anything as Tony dragged the enormous object down the staircase of Stark Industries and out of the front door. But perhaps the cleaner would have a few questions about the sporadic spotting of uneaten strawberries all over Miss Potts' office. 

Tony would've explained himself in this way to Agent Coulson, if he had the memory to do so. But in truth, he neither wanted to, nor had the focus to do so. His attention was on getting the "...little bubble to rest dead centre in this level." So he gave him the much shorter version and kept one eye on the man's pockets. Agent Coulson made no move for the taser (imaginary or no). He was looking around the room finally at the glorious mess that was to fuel Tony's latest discovery. "What's all this?" He asked plainly. 

"A spot of DIY. I had to fetch something from the office to get this to work." Tony answered. He was quietly amazed how unperturbed Agent Coulson was to the idea that he had broken an official house arrest. It was almost as if he had expected it to happen sooner or later, or simply didn't care enough. Maybe Shield just wasn't paying him enough to care. Agent Coulson nodded slowly, passing his eye along the circle of piping and metal and braces. Until his eye fell on a suspect disc of red, silver and white metal, shining on a tabletop a few metres from Tony. 

"Where did you get this?" Tony turned his head as Agent Coulson picked up the object with the telltale American star in the centre of consecutive red and blue lines. The shield was only partly constructed, but the agent knew there was somebody who would be very happy to be reunited with it. He hugged it to himself like a kid with a long lost teddy. There was a whisper of sentimentality that passed across his face. 

"I don't know. But it's perfect. Bring that here." Tony demanded, stretching out his hand for it. 

He wasn't sure but he thought Agent Coulson pouted, and his response in handing it over was slowed down. He wrinkled his brow and grabbed the half-constructed shield from him, flinging it beneath the tiny gap under the pipe. The dome of it pushed against the pipe so Tony looked pointedly at Agent Coulson and told him to lift. Which thankfully, he did without complaint. After a momentary interval of much huffing and puffing and praying, the bubble rested dead centre and Tony clapped his hands. "Perfectly level." He declared, just in case his companion's beady blue eyes couldn't see it. The man did not respond this time, but looked at him almost expectantly, and it took Tony a brief moment to realise he was waiting to say something. So he pressed. "What?" 

"Goodbye." The agent said simply. "I've been reassigned. Mexico this time." 

"Top secret stuff?" 

"Something like that." Agent Coulson managed a smile. Both of them knew he wasn't allowed to discuss his work in great depth with members outside of Shield itself. He was certainly relieved when Tony Stark did not press further, but simply extended his hand to shake.

As they clasped hands, Coulson stated. "We need you."

"More than you know."

"Not that much." He scoffed and exited by the door he'd come in by.

Tony returned to his work, completely unperturbed by losing the one person who did not seem to completely hate his guts. But then he was Tony Stark, he didn't really ever get attached to anyone... _not really_. An hour later, had anybody been walking the beach below at sunset, they would have heard a strange whirring noise filling the still air. And if they'd looked up towards the wrecked mansion, would've noticed a faint blueish glow and heard one high-pitched word shouted in great exultation. 

"Coconut!"  


	13. The Kiss

"Try and relax. You're fine." A doctor in white coveralls said in a soothing, professional tone, as she slid yet another needle into the muscle of Jupiter's shoulder and carefully ejected its contents. Meanwhile, another doctor in matching garbs was passing a strange rectangular white stick up and down the length and breadth of her body. It made a faint hum as it moved back and forth, and it made Jupiter's skin prickle. Whatever was in the syringe felt icy cold as it weedled its way under her skin, but when the scanner passed over it, it built into an aching, stinging feeling that then intensified into a burn, and she clenched her fists. 

She had been taken from her holding cell to a sub level far beneath her feet. This level was nothing but white (which somehow annoyed her: perhaps it was because she'd spent countless hours trapped in a white box already that more of the same was too much for her to handle). Fury had led her into a long room, brightly lit and smelling strongly of disinfectant. There were two doctors waiting for Jupiter and her escort. The first thing they asked her to do was to strip down to her bare skin. Jupiter had hesitated and looked at Fury and Romanoff accussingly. Of course they would not have told her  _this_ part. 

Eventually, with no hint of a screen or a curtain to hide behind, Jupiter relented. Fury coughed politely and turned away, finding great intrigue in staring at a blank tiled floor and muttering to himself. But Jupiter was not so lucky with Agent Romanoff. She watched her like a hungry wolf, until Fury noticed and ordered the woman to "give Miss Stark some privacy", although he couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape him. Jupiter was not shocked by the woman's response: she'd seen it before, at the party, and maybe a hint of it in her studio, when she'd touched her face. And deep down, she was revelling in the power she had over the woman because of it: so the super spy was not all that great at hiding her lust for Jupiter's womanly body. 

She was a little perplexed and then shocked when the doctors bundled up the clothes and put them in a yellow 'Hazard' bag and disposed of it into a deep bin with the words "For Incineration" stamped across the front. Did they think she was contagious or something? She thought better than to argue over some clothes, especially since she'd been wearing them for goodness knows how long. (Thankfully they put her mom's necklace on a side table along with her brown leather jacket.) Undressing brought into sharp focus the fact she had no shower in her cell, just a toilet and a sink. So the doctors made her lie down on a medical table and washed her with a warm showerhose and buffed her skin with a brush that smelt of more disinfectant, until all that she could smell, and perhaps anybody could smell was disinfectant. 

When she was clean and dry, they moved her onto a bed and covered her (thankfully) with a garment that tied together at the nape of the neck. By this time, both Fury and Romanoff had turned to observe the proceedings, though Natasha still wore a slight smirk on her face when she saw what Jupiter was wearing. 

As the fifth or sixth injection was administered, Jupiter stated. "This is not great I can tell you." She emphasised to the woman behind the mask, shooting the doctor with the scanner an unhappy look. She had agreed to this only because Nick Fury had insisted, and she hoped it would secure her release earlier, and because, if she were honest, she didn't want to make herself appear even more weak than she already felt, in front of Agent Romanoff. And it seemed to be working too, because Natasha cocked an eyebrow and said. 

"You're brave." There was that smile on the corner of her gorgeous lips: that seductive little twist in the dimple of her mouth that had the annoying effect of making your heart beat faster and your mind collapse into a muddle. Jupiter looked away quickly, hoping that her attempts to appear unphased by it didn't show. But Natasha Romanoff was a trained agent, she was bound to have seen it. If she had though she didn't show it. 

"Anything to report on yet?" Nick Fury sounded like an annoyed father waiting to hear news on his daughter's unwanted pregnancy that she'd text him about whilst hiding in her dorm at high school, and which he'd promptly driven the length of the country to sort out. It was almost as if he wanted there to be nothing there. But he essentially already knew that the tests would light her up like a Christmas tree. The doctor with the scanner was looking at the small screen on the scanner muttering to himself. He checked it again and ran the same test once or twice more, before, unable to contain himself any longer, the Director ordered. "Report."

"Her cells are in a constant cycle of change. Our equipment won't get a sure reading on it but from what I can gather, her body is constantly destroying and rebuilding itself, and each time it does, the energy gets stronger. Like it's rebuilding her suitable for its purpose. Other things to note, low level gamma radiation, nothing particularly harmful and it doesn't appear to be doing her any harm at all. The odd thing is, whilst she seems to be a whole new level in her own right, there are some results that remind me of..." The doctor faltered, considering whether or not to continue. 

"Of what? Or who?" Fury prompted.   
  
"She's like that  _other_ woman. In some ways." The doctor did not mention a name but the suggestion alone seemed to jog Fury's memory. He chewed his lip and nodded to himself slowly, looking at Jupiter with a strange mixture of amazement and confusion. Then very suddenly he stood up and, excusing himself, left the room, muttering a quick explanation that he was going to his office and would be back shortly. Agent Romanoff did not move from her seat, but sat dutifully and regarded the whole situation with an almost infuriating lack of emotion showing on her visage. 

Eventually, the doctors both put down their things, discarded any used needles and so on, condensing their notes and results onto a memory drive for later review, and left the room, but not before wheeling Jupiter on her bed down the hallway into a different room. This room Jupiter liked better. It had what must've been a holographic window depicting a forest, and it smelt clean but not sickly like the disinfectant room had. Romanoff tailed the doctors into the new room and found the vacant seat by the artificial window. She crossed her legs and leant back in the chair, then, very suddenly decided she wanted to sit forward and adjusted herself. Jupiter watched her curiously, never really having considered the woman beside her to be anything but comfortable. Then finally, the fidgeting yielded to a question Jupiter had  _not at all_ been expecting. 

"How did the kiss make you feel?" She was still keeping her voice low, which drew Jupiter's attention to the camera in the corner of the room. There could be anybody listening in. Natasha was looking at Jupiter intently, analysing her face as if she were trying to identify any notion of dissent. 

Jupiter lay back, with her head inclined towards the woman that had stolen (and promptly broken) her heart. "It _was_ one of the best moments of my life. That was until you _left_ me there in the basement." She answered truthfully, seriously. She was watching Natasha as closely as she was in return. The agent's face was so close she could have pushed forward and kissed her again if she'd wanted to - maybe even that was what Natasha Romanoff was hoping. But something was telling Jupiter that that would only lead to trouble so she abstained. "Was it okay for you?" 

Natasha scoffed. "No." Jupiter's heart sank into the floor like a stone. Had she done something wrong? Her mind went wild. But then Natasha continued. "I wanted more, _so much more_. But I had to stop myself. And that's why it _wasn't_ okay." Realising the questions whizzing across the girl's face, Natasha shot out her hand and placed it over hers, even before thinking about how it might look to anybody looking through the lens of the camera in the corner of the room. But it was too late, and quite frankly, Natasha was tired of playing games. She looked up through her eyelashes at the lovely girl. "The kiss was perfect. But what happened...what I did wasn't. Because I broke you Jupiter...and I am sorry." She squeezed her hand tightly and let her thumb stroke it tenderly for a moment before dropping it. 

Jupiter stammered, at a loss as to what to say. Until it came to her. "It's going to take me time..." Natasha nodded knowingly, looking at the floor. She almost appeared sad, if agents of espionage could even be remorseful in their line of work. Then a thought popped into Jupiter's head. "I thought spies weren't meant to get attached to their targets." With effort, she had worked a playful smirk onto her face: the sort that often inhabited Natasha's and what she assumed would take the edge out of her intrusive comment. 

Natasha huffed agreement. "I thought so too. But I really can't help it. Not this time." Her lips pouted in a sweet smile that betrayed her affections and the hardened, professional exterior of a Shield agent morphed into a woman who was completely stricken with the person she gazed at. "I have feelings for you." She interlinked her fingers together on her lap and leant forward in an almost boyish stance, thinking to herself, trying to suss herself out. 

Jupiter huffed, which made Natasha look at her quizzically. Jupiter gestured to the irony about her. "So you kidnapped me and keep me locked up. Saving me for later." She huffed a laugh to take the sting out of her words, relieved to see Natasha reflect the same dry humour. At least the woman was not overly sensitive. 

"It wasn't my idea. I'm only doing what I have to do for Shield. I'm not your enemy Jupiter. I never was." She had become serious, assuring. She was pressing her words on Jupiter carefully, her beautiful green eyes boring into Jupiter's with ethereal strength. 

Jupiter looked at her own hands on the bed linen, wrinkling her nose at the subtle scent of the disinfectant she'd been washed in by the doctors. "I'm working on believing you Natasha." She said. That was the best she could do for the timebeing. Her glorious captor with all her perfections could say it as much as she wanted to, yet Jupiter was still here, still locked away from the outside world. Anything she said would be hard to believe unless acted upon. And she was yet to see physical evidence of that statement. After all, she'd just been scrubbed raw by a pair of doctors that even her feminine parts smelt like a physician's office, and jabbed full of holes whilst her crush had watched and not stepped in to put an end to the torment. 

Natasha leant a little closer and whispered. "I promise you, if things were different, I'd not be letting this happen to you." She stood up from her chair and gave Jupiter one prolonged, wanting look. "I  _want_ things to be good between us again." She didn't wait for a reply, but swiftly walked from the room, giving the girl a beautiful view of her pendulum hips, and leaving Jupiter with so much to think on, and to imagine. 

But for the timebeing, all the fuss and the pacing had made Jupiter tired, and before she knew it, she'd drifted off into a dreamless slumber. 

 

 

 

 

 


	14. One Month Later

Justin Hammer's forehead met the tabletop like a mallet being struck against wood. He hissed out of pain and then howled as his arm was twisted behind his back by a woman he'd never imagined to have such strength in her. Beyond the backing screen of the main stage at The Stark Expo, the screaming continued as people attempted to flee the location. Every now and then, there was a deep metallic thud as a rogue Hammer drone landed from flight and planted its stabilisers into the concrete. Flares and ammunition were sparking the sky with deadly stars and glass shattered, sirens wailed, and panic overtook the usual intrigued silence that befell the audience as the latest invention was introduced to the world. 

"Who's behind this? _Tell me._ " Natalie's voice was low and threatening, and just to ensure the slimey little man knew just how serious she was being, she pulled his arm a little harder until she felt the tendons begin to give. The shriek that she worked out of him made a cruel smile pass across her face. It had been ages since she'd performed a good interrogation. Even if it was shortlived.

"Ivan. Vanko." Justin managed as his cheekbone crunched against the tabletop. 

"Where?" 

"At. My. Headquarters." Justin breathed a sigh of relief as Natalie let go of his arm and backed off. He straightened up, mindfully pulling the creases out of his jacket and running a hand through his hair. "But I've got it all under control." Next to him, an employee was desparately trying to run code past the drones' firewall to no avail. 

There was an explosion from beyond the screen followed by terrified screams. Natalie raised an eyebrow. "Sure." 

Behind her, Pepper Potts was still trying to comprehend what she had just witnessed, and she would have no time to ask questions, as Natalie took out an earpiece from her back, put it into her ear, and told someone on the other side about Ivan Vanko and Hammer's headquarters. Somehow, she regained control of herself and fumbled in her bag for a mobile phone. She dialled and then held it to her ear. "NYPD please." She requested the controller on the other side. 

The colour drained from Hammer's face. He held his hands up to Pepper and shook them. "No. No police. I've got this." He said, sounding anything but convincing. 

 


End file.
